OPT: Protection of civilians weekly report, 28 Oct - 03 Nov 2009

West Bank

Level of Palestinian injuries decreases

During the reporting period, 11 Palestinians and one Israeli soldier were injured in various incidents throughout the West Bank, down from 26 Palestinians and four Israeli forces injured last week and a weekly average of 15 Palestinians wounded throughout the West Bank since the beginning of 2009.

Six of this week's injuries, of whom five were women, occurred during clashes that erupted between Palestinians and Israeli forces in one incident in the village of Al Baqa'a (Hebron), located in Area C. The incident took place after officials from the Israeli Civil Administration (ICA) removed irrigation pipes laid down on land belonging to residents of the village; according to the ICA, the pipes were illegally connected to the water network, which supplies water for domestic use to the Hebron area.

Another three Palestinian injuries, all of them children, occurred in three separate incidents involving physical assault by Israeli forces: one in the Israeli-controlled area of Hebron City (H2) while walking back from school, another during a military operation in Surif village (Hebron), and the third during the weekly anti-Barrier demonstration in Al Ma'sara (Bethlehem). Two other Palestinian men and one Israeli soldier were injured during anti-Barrier demonstrations in Bil'in.

Israeli forces conducted 92 search operations inside Palestinian villages, the majority of which took place in the north (63), resulting in the arrest of 63 Palestinians. This compares to a weekly average of 96 operations and 60 arrests since the beginning of 2009.

Demolition of houses and displacement continue in East Jerusalem

On 2 November, the Jerusalem Municipality demolished three houses in the Beit Hanina and Ath Thuri neighborhoods, resulting in the displacement of 42 people, including 23 children. Another demolition of a residence (carried out by the owner of the structure) occurred in the Sur Bahir neighborhood, affecting six people who rented the structure, of whom two are children. All of the demolitions took place after the issuance of demolition orders due to the lack of building permits. In the course of the past two weeks, the Jerusalem Municipality demolished eight structures leading to the displacement of 26 people.

Concerns over displacement exist also regarding Area C of the West Bank. This week, the Israeli Civil Administration issued stop work orders against two inhabited houses in the town of Dura (Hebron), due to a lack of building permit, placing 14 people, including six children, at risk of displacement.