3)
Israeli Penetration
and Reoccupation in
the Palestinian
Territories
With
the escalation of the
circle of violence
between the two sides
during the second year
of the Uprising, the
Israeli government
resorted to the policy
of military
penetration into the
Palestinian self-ruled
areas as a first step,
then to fully
reoccupying those
areas at a later
stage, and thus,
putting an end to the
era of negotiations
and peace treaties
between the two sides.
On
6/2/2001 Ariel Sharon,
the Israeli Prime
Minister, promised the
Israeli people
“peace and
security.” He
believes he can do
that through the
military option.
Therefore, with the
increased number of
Palestinian suicide
bombings, Sharon found
an excuse to launch a
massive military
operation that began
in late March 2002 and
ended up with the
Israeli Army
reoccupying most of
the West Bank,
including the major
cities and towns.
3/1:
Ramallah and al-Bireh
On
4/12/2001 the Israeli
Army penetrated into
Ramallah and al-Bireh,
especially in
al-Balou’ and
al-Irsal
neighborhoods, and in
Betunia to the west,
and in the villages of
Sinjel and
Ein-‘Areek, where an
Israeli tank fell over
a Palestinian house
injuring Walid Husni
al-Sharif (38), his
wife and their three
children. On
5/12/2001, the Israeli
Army broke into the
Central Bureau of
Statistics in
Ramallah.
On
18/12/2001, the
Israeli Army imposed a
curfew on the village
of Deir Abu-Mash’al,
and on 20/12/2001, the
Israeli Army
penetrated into
Qarawet Bani Zeid
where a campaign of
arrests was carried
out, while the Israeli
soldiers continued to
block the road between
Ramallah and Bir-Zeit.
On Friday, 18/2/2002,
about 20 Israeli tanks
accompanied by
military helicopters
entered Ramallah and
took positions near
the Muqata’a
compound
(the offices of
Yasser Arafat). The
following day,
19/1/2002, the Israeli
Forces burnt by
explosives the
premises of Palestine
TV and Radio Station
in Um-al-Sharayet
neighborhood.
On
12/3/2002 the Israeli
Army occupied Ramallah
and al-Bireh for three
days, killing 13
Palestinians and
injuring over 100. The
Israeli forces damaged
numerous buildings in
the city, imposed a
siege on the Ramallah
Hospital, prevented
medical assistance
from reaching the
wounded and harassed
both Palestinian and
foreign journalists.
Among the Palestinians
killed were:
|
Fuad
‘Adilee (47)
|
Firas
al-Beituni (24)
|
|
Maher
al-Sharif (31)
|
Ahmad
Gharaybeh (20)
|
|
Mohammed
al-Muneir (25)
|
Ala
al-Maloukh (25)
|
|
Mohammed
Abu Latifeh (26)
|
Ahmad
al-Omary
|
|
Fares
Kheir-Eddin
|
Rami
Basheer
|
|
Ziad
al-Barghouthi
|
Ahmad
Adham
|
The
Israeli Forces also
killed Raffaele
Cirielo, an Italian
journalist who was
shot six times by an
Israeli tank near the
al-‘Amari Refugee
Camp.
On
Friday 29/3/2002, at
dawn, the Israeli Army
made a full incursion
into Ramallah and
al-Bireh, for the
second time in less
than a month. The
Israeli forces
bombarded the offices
of President Yasser
Arafat in Ramallah,
after Israeli Prime
Minister, Ariel
Sharon, declared that
Arafat was “the
enemy.”(International
Herald Tribune, 30-31
March 2002)
Over
the course of the
military incursion
into Ramallah and the
surrounding villages,
the Israeli Army
killed dozens of
Palestinians,
including five men
from the Palestinian
National Security
Forces who appear to
have been shot in cold
blood inside al-Taboun
building in the center
of Ramallah. The five
were: Khaled Awadallah
(30, from Jericho),
Ismail Ibrahim Deeb
(56, from Beit-Inan),
Saeed Moh’d Mahdi
(60 from Gaza),
Abdel-Raham Tawfiq
Abdallah (58, from
Nablus) and Omar
Moh’d Mousa (54 from
Jericho).
Perhaps
most alarming was the
complete media
blackout imposed by
the Israeli Army.
The Israeli Forces
declared the whole
district a “closed
military zone” and
prevented journalists
from entering.
Several journalists
found inside Ramallah
were expelled.
All foreigners,
including diplomats,
were also forbidden
entry into the city.
On 2/4/2002 the
Israeli soldiers at
the Qalandia
checkpoint prevented a
convoy of seven
European diplomats
from entering
Ramallah. On 13/4/2002
the Belgian Minister
of Health was denied
entry into the
occupied city.
Offices
of the Palestinian
Authority were raided
by Israeli troops, and
thousands of documents
were confiscated or
destroyed, an action
that will severely
diminish the
Palestinian
Authority’s capacity
to administer social
services.
Ambulances and medical
staff were prevented
from moving freely.
Israeli soldiers set
the Ramallah Chamber
of Commerce on fire
and took hundreds of
Palestinians as
prisoners.
The
morgue at the Ramallah
Hospital was inundated
beyond its capacity
and on 2/4/02,
Palestinians were
forced to bury 15
bodies in a mass grave
outside of the
hospital in an attempt
to prevent the spread
of disease from the
decomposing bodies.
The 15 dead included:
|
Hussein
Hosni al-Ashqar
(37)
|
Ahmad
Anwar Kullab
(23)
|
|
Sarida
Abu-Gharbieh
(30)
|
Fare’
Ali Daraghmeh
(32)
|
|
Omar
A-Hamid Hamayel
(43)
|
Jamal
.M . Abdel-Salam
(35)
|
|
Nader
Abdel-Latif
As’ad (33)
|
Murad
Wafiq ‘Awaysa
(33)
|
|
Ayoub
M. Abu-Musallem
(40)
|
Mohammed
Hosni Mraouh
(33)
|
|
Shaher
Abu-Sharar (33)
|
|
On
Tuesday 2/4/2002 at
dawn, the Israeli
forces supported by
helicopters and tanks,
bombarded the premises
of the Preventive
Security Service in
Betunia, south of
Ramallah.
Dozens of
Palestinians,
including some
“wanted” activists
were detained and
taken by Israeli buses
to unknown
destinations.
The
Israeli military
occupation of Ramallah
and al-Bireh resulted
in the death of dozens
of Palestinians,
severe damage to
numerous homes and
stores, and damage to
infrastructure
throughout the city,
representing a
dangerous breach of
international
humanitarian law and
the principles of
human rights.
- All human beings
are born free and
equal in dignity and
rights. They are
endowed with reason
and conscience and
should act towards
one another in a
spirit of
brotherhood.
- Everyone has the
right to life,
liberty and security
of person.
Articles 1
& 3, The
Universal
Declaration of Human
Rights, 1948
- Persons taking no
active part in the
hostilities,
including members of
armed forces who
have laid down their
arms and those
placed hors de
combat by sickness,
wound, detention …
shall in all
circumstances be
treated humanely,
without any adverse
distinction.
Geneva Convention
Relative to the
Protection of
Civilian Persons in
the Time of War, of
August 12, 1949,
Article 3
The United Nations Security Council approved two resolutions: UN
Resolution #1402,
issued on 30/3/2002,
calls for the
withdrawal of the
Israeli troops from
Ramallah and other
Palestinian cities,
and #1403, issued on
4/4/2002, demands the
implementation of
resolution #1402. The
Israeli government,
lead by the notorious
Ariel Sharon, has
ignored these
resolutions, and the
American government
has failed to exert
any real pressure on
him to fully implement
them.
On
22/4/02, the Israeli
Army redeployed and
closures were lifted
in most areas of
Ramallah, but the
siege on Arafat’s
headquarters
continues, and the
Army has not yet
withdrawn from the
city.
On
19/9/2002 the Israeli
troops supported by
tanks and soldiers
carriers invaded the
offices of Yasser
Arafat in Ramallah, as
a retaliation for the
bombing attack that
occurred in Tel-Aviv
earlier that day and
killed five Israelis.
The Israeli tanks and
bulldozers destroyed
almost all the
buildings in the
presidential compound.
Israel claimed there
were some “wanted”
Palestinians inside
the compound with
Arafat, who denied
that and refused all
the Israeli
allegations.
3/2:
Bethlehem
Fierce
confrontations broke
out in Bethlehem on
18/10/2001, after the
Israeli Forces
assassinated the local
Fateh leader ‘Atef
Ebayat (24) and two of
his companions, Jamal
Ebayat (32) and Issa
Ebayat (28) in a car
explosion. On
20/10/2001, the
Israeli Army entered
Bethlehem and
Beit-Jala and killed
four Palestinians,
while the village of
al-Khader, and the
refugee camps of
Dheishe and Aida
witnessed armed
confrontations between
Palestinian Resistance
men and the Israeli
Army.
Israeli
Army Invades
Bethlehem, the City of
Peace
All
human beings are
born free and equal
in dignity and
rights.
They
are endowed with
reason and
conscience and
should act towards
one
another in a spirit
of brotherhood.
Universal Declaration of Human Rights, 1948, Article
1
Early
on the morning of
Tuesday, 2/4/2002, the
Israeli Army invaded
Bethlehem and
Beit-Sahour in the
West Bank with more
than 200 military
vehicles. Between the
onset of the invasion
and 21/4/2002, twenty
Palestinians were
killed by the Israeli
Forces in the
Bethlehem District,
and numerous homes,
businesses and places
of worship were
damaged. A great deal
of public
infrastructure has
been demolished by the
Israeli tanks and
bulldozers.
Everyone
has the right to
life, liberty and
security of person.
Universal
Declaration of Human
Rights, 1948,
Article 3
On
1/4/2002, one day
prior to the invasion
of Bethlehem, the
Israeli Army entered
the Dehaishe Refugee
Camp, searched homes
and detained between
350 and 400
Palestinian men, some
of whom were released
several days later
from the “Etzion”
military site south of
Bethlehem.
Precisely how
many remain in
detention is unknown.
No
one shall be
subjected to
arbitrary arrest,
detention or exile.
Universal
Declaration of Human
Rights, 1948,
Article 9
The
Church of Nativity in
Bethlehem was under
heavy siege from
2/4/2002.
There were
approximately 200
Palestinians,
including armed
fighters, priests,
monks and nuns, and
approximately 50 youth
inside the church.
Those taking
refuge in the church
endured a severe
shortage of food,
water, and medical
supplies.
Two corpses of
Palestinians killed by
Israeli snipers remain
in the church.
From 2/4/2002,
frequent gunfire was
directed toward the
church compound.
No Palestinians
civilians or even
journalists were
permitted to approach
the church. Parts of
the Mosque of
Omar, close to the
Church of Nativity,
were also burnt as a
result of the heavy
Israeli gunfire.
After
numerous attempts, the
Israeli Forces finally
permitted a
humanitarian convoy to
deliver a small amount
of humanitarian aid to
the Palestinians under
siege in the Church of
the Nativity.
On Sunday
21/4/2002, dozens of
religious leaders,
legal activists and
Arab members of the
Knesset tried to reach
the city, but were
prevented by the
Israeli forces.
Article 3, Paragraph 1: Persons taking no
active part in the
hostilities,
including members of
armed forces who
have laid down their
arms and those
placed hors de
combat by
sickness, wound,
detention … shall
in all circumstances
be treated humanely,
without any adverse
distinction.
Article 16: The wounded
and sick, as well as
the infirm, and the
expectant mothers,
shall be the object
of particular
protection and
respect.
Geneva Convention Relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in the
Time of War, of
August 12, 1949.
Negotiations
between the Israelis
and Palestinians
regarding the siege on
the church were
scheduled to begin on
23/4/02.
The status of
those taking refuge in
the church was to be
discussed.
Israeli Prime
Minister, Ariel
Sharon, indicated that
the Israeli government
intended to try those
in the church in
Israeli court or
deport them.
However, On
Friday 3/5/2002 the
two sides agreed on a
plan to deport 13
Palestinians, from
those who were armed
inside the Church, to
Europe, and 26 others
were deported to Gaza
Strip.
The
20 Palestinians killed
by the Israeli Army
between 1/4/2002 and
22/4/2002 are:
Izzat
Yousef Yassin (51)
Aboud
al-Omary (60)
Omar
Salahat (35)
Issa
Da’boub (14)
Khaled
Abu-Siam (26)
Sameer
Salman (50)
Khaled
Za’rour (17)
Symaya
‘Abdeh (65)
Khaled
‘Abdeh (38)
Awad
Mousa Awad (35)
Hasan
al-Nasman (24)
Atallah
Al-Hayek (43)
Ali
Khalil Qarei (60)
Fahmieh
Mansour (70)
Mohammed
al-Wahsh (29)
Rana
Karajeh (28)
Yehia
Da’amseh (40)
Anan
Jawarish (28)
Mahmoud
Salah (30)
Ahmad
al-Mughrabi (28)
On
19th August
2002, the Palestinian
Authority and Israel
agreed on a deal
called “Bethlehem
– Gaza First.”
Afterward, that the
Israeli Army withdrew
from the center of
Bethlehem.
3:3
Nablus
On
21/10/2001, the Israeli
Army penetrated into
Nablus City and carried
out a massive campaign
of arrests and imposed a
firm closure on it. The
villages of Hawwara,
Einabous and ‘Awarta
suffered from curfew for
long periods of time. On
12/11/2001 the Israeli
Army carried out a
military operation in
the village of Tal where
they killed Mohammed
Riahn (25) and arrested
his uncle, four
brothers, and 40 other
Palestinians.
In
the period 1/12/2001 –
4/1/2002 the Israeli
Army entered Nablus City
three times and fastened
the military closure on
the city and its
surrounding villages,
especially Hawwara,
Sebastia and Iraq-Borin.
On 28/2/2002, the
Israeli Army tried for
the third time to enter
Balata Camp, but the
Armed Resistance men
fought very hard.
Five Palestinians
were killed in the
confrontation.
On
14/12/2001, the Israeli
Army invaded the town of
Salfit and killed four
Palestinians. On
24/12/2001, the Israeli
Army invaded the village
of Kufor el-Dik and
arrested a dozen
Palestinians; they did
the same thing in the
village of Deir-Istia on
25/12/2001.
We
have seen in a previous
section the crimes the
Israeli Army carried out
in the Old City of
Nablus. The Israeli
helicopters and tanks
once again shelled the
Old Qasaba of Nablus on
16/8/2002 after an armed
confrontation broke out
between armed resistance
men and a patrol of
Israeli soldiers there.
3:4
Qalqilia
On
10/10/2001 the Israeli
Army penetrated into
Qalqilia and imposed a
curfew on the villages
of al-Fundoq, Habla,
Kufor-Qadoum, Kufor
Laqef and Beit Ommein,
and arrested a number of
Palestinians from those
areas. On 21/11/2001 the
Israeli forces entered
the village of Azzoun
and arrested several
citizens from there.
3:5
Jenin
On
Thursday 18/10/2001, a
group of Israeli tanks
entered the city from
the direction of
al-Jaberiyat
neighborhood, and
shelled few houses in
that area. The tanks
also penetrated towards
Jenin Camp and took
positions near the UNRWA
school. The Israeli Army
imposed a firm closure
on the villages of
al-Hashikiya, Borqin,
Kufor-Qoud, Qabatia,
Maythaloun, ‘Arraba,
al-Yamoun, Nazlet-Zeid,
Beer-el-Jimal and Kufor
Dhan.
On
15/12/2001 the Israeli
Army invaded the town of
Toubas and carried out
an arrest campaign. The
water network to the
town was destroyed by
the Israeli tanks. On
9/2/2002 the Israeli
Army reoccupied the
village of Tammoun and
arrested a number of
Palestinians.
We
have seen in a previous
section the crimes that
were carried out by the
Israeli Occupation
Forces in Jenin Camp.
3:6
Tulkarem
On
19/10/2001 at dawn, more
than 40 Israeli tanks
invaded the city from
the four directions, two
Palestinians were
killed, many
Palestinians security
sites were destroyed,
and dozens were
arrested. On 21/10/2001,
the Israeli Army shelled
Nour-Shams Camp and
wounded a number of
people. On 23/10/2001
the Israeli Occupation
Forces committed a
massacre by killing 7
Palestinians.
On
13/11/2001, a
Palestinian woman, Wafa
As’ad Nassif (34), was
killed while she was
standing at the window
in her house. The
Israeli tanks and heavy
machine-guns caused
considerable damage to
the College of Khadouri
in the city. On
1/12/2001 the Israeli
Army invaded the village
of Jaroushiya and
arrested a dozen of
Palestinians. On
9/12/2001, four
Palestinians were killed
in ‘Anabta by Israeli
gunfire. On 13/12/2001
the Israeli Forces
imposed a curfew on the
village of Baqa
al-Sharqia, and imposed
a firm closure on the
villages of al-Kafriyat,
Barta’a and Showaika.
On 12/1/2002 the Israeli
Army invaded the village
of Deir-el-Ghusoun, and
on 22/1/2002 the whole
city of Tulkarem was
reoccupied by the
Israeli Army after it
was shelled by F-16
warplanes. Four days
after that, the building
of al-Muqata’a (the
PA’s security
headquarters in the
city) was completely
destroyed by the Israeli
forces.
3:7
Hebron
On
5/10/2001, the Israeli
Army penetrated into
Hebron where
confrontations took
place in the
neighborhoods of
Abu-Sneineh, al-Takruri,
Jabal Juneid, Khallet
Hadour and Wadi Rumman,
and in Yatta and
al-Fawwar Camp. On
21/10/2001, the Israeli
Forces entered into
al-Kayyal mosque in the
city and arrested a few
worshipers. On
29/10/2001 the Israeli
forces invaded
al-‘Aroub Camp and
arrested dozens of men.
On
29/11/2001 the Israeli
forces carried out a
huge arrest campaign in
the village of Bani
Naim, and entered the
basic schools in the Old
City of Hebron and
prevented worshipers
from entering
al-Ibrahimi mosque.
Destruction of the
building of
al-Muqata’a in
Hebron
A Palestinian eyewitness,
Ra’ef Abdel-Qader
al-Ja’bari (36), who
lives near
al-Muqata’a building
told the PHRMG:
On 25/6/2002 at about 4:00
a.m. the Israeli Army
invaded the city of
Hebron from all
directions, and
imposed a military
curfew on its Arab
population of 160,000.
The Israeli forces
also entered the big
building of
al-Muqata’a where
there are all the
Palestinian security
offices, and the
office of President
Yasser Arafat.
When the Israeli Army
entered the building,
they killed four
Palestinian security
guards at the
entrance, and asked
all the people inside,
most of them security
members, through
loudspeakers, to go
out and give away
their weapons. About
200 men were inside,
they turned themselves
over and handed away
their guns.
The Israeli soldiers
continued to call upon
everyone that was
inside the building to
go out. Then they
brought an old man who
went inside the
building and brought
his son out. Ma’moun
Amro, his son, a
member in the
Palestinian Security
Service, was wounded
four times in clashes
with the Israeli
soldiers during the
current Intifada. This
incident affirmed the
Israeli suspicion that
there were still some
armed Palestinians
inside the building.
So, the Israeli Army
began negotiations
with Sheikh Talal
Sider, a former
Minister in the PA,
who went inside the
building for two
hours, and came out to
say there was no one
inside.
After that, on 29/6/2002,
the Israeli Army
invaded the building
and searched it from
inside. The Israeli
soldiers were seen on
the roof of the
building. Then the
Israeli Army moved its
vehicles away, and
military experts began
to plant explosives
and wires all around
and inside the
building.
On 30/6/2002 at 3:20 a.m. a
very massive and
powerful explosion
took place. The whole
building, which
consisted of three
floors, each one 4000
square meters,
collapsed and it
simply became ruins.
The amount of
explosives used was
about 4000 kilos. Many
houses and cars close
to the building were
destroyed.
In the two following days,
the Israeli Army
searched the ruins for
bodies or weapons, but
found nothing. The
building of
al-Muqata’a is about
90 years old. It was
used as a military
compound by the
British, Jordan,
Israel and the
Palestinian Authority.
On
29/10/2002 a security
meeting was held between
the two sides, the PA
and Israel, with
American presence, to
discuss the Israeli
penetration in the
Palestinian Territories,
but it failed to achieve
anything.
3:8
Gaza Strip
On
3/10/2001 the Israeli
Occupation Forces
penetrated into West
Beit-Lahia, north of
Gaza city, and bombarded
the area, which left 6
Palestinians killed. The
Israeli military
bulldozers uprooted
dozens of trees close to
the Jewish settlements
of “Ele Sinai” and
“Doget”.
On
14/2/2002 the Israeli
Army penetrated into
Beit-Hanoun and
reoccupied the area for
24 hours, during which 6
Palestinians were
killed. This time the
Israeli bulldozers
destroyed the water and
electricity networks in
the area.
On
16/2/2002 the Israeli
Army invaded Bureij
Refugee Camp and killed
3 Palestinians. On
8/3/2002 the same Army
entered the area of
Sudania in Beit-Lahia
and killed 4 people. On
11/3/2002 the Israeli
Occupation Forces
invaded Jabalia Refugee
Camp and killed 17
Palestinians in a fierce
confrontation.
In
Rafah, the major Israeli
policy is home
demolition. In the
period 4/11/2001 –
30/5/2002 the Israeli
authorities demolished
126 Palestinian homes in
Rafah district. (See
the Monitor
published by PHRMG in
April 2002 on this
subject)
On
4/3/2002 the Israeli
Army invaded Rafah and
killed 3 Palestinians.
The same
