Summary of the Israeli Colonial Violations in the West Bank, October 2020

Maher Abed

This report briefly summarizes the Israeli occupation violations of human rights against the Palestinian lands and people during October 2020. The report replies on information from the daily reports of the Palestinian Monitoring Group of the PLO’s Negotiations Affairs Circle, Monitoring Israeli Colonization Activists in the Palestinian Territories (POICA), and We Watch Israeli Violations (wewiv) body. Likewise, we rely on live journalist coverage on the ground. We noted a surge in the Israeli settlers’ attacks on the Palestinian farmers picking the olives. The Israeli state institutions ratified five settlements schemes that includes building 6384 news housing units, as well as building two other new settlements.

Table: The Israeli occupation and settlements and violations during October 2020

Martyrs and Injured:

During this month, two citizens were killed in the West Bank. On 5/10/2020, Sameer Ahmed Adeljalil Hameedi, 23, from the town of Baitled, Tulkarm, was killed by the Israeli occupation forces after shooting him in the surroundings of “Ainaf” checkpoint. On 25/10/2020,

Near Tresaia town-Ramallah, the child Amer Abdelrahim Sunobar, 18, from Yutma village, Nablus governorate was killed as a result of the Israeli occupation forces attack by severe beating with rifles butts on his neck, after hunting and arresting him while driving a vehicle.

While the number of civilians who were injured this month by the occupation forces and settlers reached 93, 92 of them were in the West Bank, and one in the Gaza Strip. Among the wounded, 10 were children, an elderly citizen, and 5 journalists.

Arrest, detention, storming of residential areas, and deportation of citizens from Jerusalem:

During this month, the occupation arrested 432 citizens, including 425 in the West Bank and seven in Gaza. The following is the distribution of detainees according to the governorates: 155 Jerusalem, 36 Ramallah, 31 Jenin, 9 Tubas, 7 Tulkarm, 31 Qalqilya, 27 Nablus, 7 Salfit, 3 Jericho, 34 Bethlehem, 85 Hebron, 4 North Gaza, and 3 KhanYonis. Among the detainees: 21 children, 4 female citizens, 4 university students, and 2 journalists.

The Israeli occupation courts-imposed house arrest on two citizens of Jerusalem for different periods. In addition, the occupation deported 14 Jerusalemite citizens from Al-Aqsa Mosque, or from their places of residence in Jerusalem for different periods. The occupation army committed 383 incursions into Palestinian residential communities this month, including 380 in the West Bank and 3 in the Gaza Strip. The following is the distribution of these incursions by governorates: 57 Jerusalem, 50 Ramallah, 32 Jenin, 14 Tubas, 26 Tulkarm, 19 Qalqilya, 49 Nablus, 17 Salfit, 11 Jericho, 38 Bethlehem, 67 Hebron, 3 Khan Yunis. While 22 civilians were detained during the raid on Palestinian homes and at the Israeli checkpoints for different periods of time.

Erecting military checkpoints and shooting at Palestinian citizens:

During the month, the occupation army set up 369 abrupt checkpoints to disrupt the movement of citizens throughout the West Bank. These checkpoints were distributed among the governorates as follows: 11 Jerusalem, 32 Ramallah, 10 Jenin, 1 Tubas, 3 Tulkarm, 38 Qalqilya, 15 Nablus, 41 Salfit, 21 Jericho, 122 Bethlehem, and 75 Hebron.

While the occupation army opened fire on Palestinian citizens in 233 cases, including 71 in the Gaza Strip and 162 in the West Bank. The shooting cases were: 60 during the storming of villages and cities, 102 by military checkpoints, 48 by military sites, and 23 by Gunboats.

Home and infrastructure demolition and property destruction:

During this month, the occupation demolished 16 Palestinian residential buildings. The demolitions were divided as follows: one in Bethlehem, 9 homes in Jerusalem, 3 in Hebron governorate, 2 in Tubas, and a house in Jenin.

The occupation forces also demolished 26 Palestinian facilities, including barracks and sheep pens, garages, shops, agricultural rooms, and others. The demolitions were distributed as follows: 9 in Jerusalem, 1 in Jenin, 5 in Bethlehem, 7 in Hebron, 1 in Salfit, 3 in Tubas. The occupation forces also issued 4 notices to demolish homes in Hebron.

In the West Bank, there were 30 cases of destroying home furniture, damaging citizens cars, uprooting olive trees, and demolishing barracks, in addition to 16 cases in which citizens’ cars, recording cameras, personal belongings, and equipment were confiscated by the occupation forces.

Violation of sanctities:

The West Bank witnessed 26 cases of attacks by the occupation army and settlers on Islamic holy sites, including storming the Al-Aqsa Mosque, holding Jewish rituals in it, attacking mosque guards. The Israeli army also stormed into the Palestinian village of Beir Albasha in Jenin. Abu Bakr mosque was also stormed into and measurements of the mosque’s surface were taken in preparation for its destruction, as the town’s residents said.

The occupation army and settlers’ terrorism:

This month, settlers carried out 69 cases of assault and attack on Palestinian citizens, which consisted of running over citizens, throwing stones at their cars and homes, cutting down their trees, burning their agricultural lands, storming towns, and physically assaulting citizens.

The settlement activities:

On October 1, 2020, the occupation forces erected a barbed wire fence about 150 meters long and 2.5 meters high along the main road that passes along the northern entrance to the town of Tuqu, Bethlehem.

4/10/2020, near the western entrance to the village of Sur Baher, south of Jerusalem, the occupation authorities approved a new plan to establish 450 new housing settlement units. The plan will include building commercial and public facilities in what the occupation authorities call the “Arnona Cliffs” neighbourhood between the two settlements of Ramat Rachel.

5/10/2020, the occupation forces swept away a large area of ​​citizens’ lands in Wadi al-Shami, located in Masha – Salfit, which at the separation wall.

6/10/2020, on the lands of Beit Dajan village, a group of settlers installed five caravans and a barn for raising cows. They also extended water transmission lines to supply them with water from “Alon Moriah” settlement, to establish an agricultural outpost.

10/8/2020, a group of settlers swept away an area of ​​land belonging to the village of Sirota – Salfit near the settlement of Barkan – Industrial City, owned by Hamed Salah, to expand the settlement.

9/10/2020, the occupation forces issued a military order to confiscate the lands of citizens in the Zohr Subuh area of ​​Kafr al-Dik town – Salfit in favour of settlement projects.

11/10/2020, the occupation authorities announced the amendment of the boundaries of lands in the village of Arab al-Ta’amrah – Bethlehem, intending to seize them to expand the borders of “Tekoa” settlement.

12/10/2020, the occupation authorities approved the construction of 500 new settlement housing units in the settlement of “Tzur Hadassah” at the expense of the citizens’ lands belonging to the village of Wadi Fukin – Bethlehem.

12/10/2020, under the protection of the occupation forces, in the Old City of Hebron, Israeli settlers placed an old stone inscribed with the Talmudic menorah at the entrance to the Qazzazin market in the city.

13/10/2020, a group of settlers installed additional caravans, bringing the total number to 8 mobile homes on an area of ​​citizens’ lands belonging to the village of Kisan – Bethlehem, which they seized earlier, to establish a new settlement outpost.

10/13/2020, the occupation forces began excavating and erecting a fence in the vicinity of the archaeological area surrounding Jabal Al-Fardis and the lands of the town of Za’tara and the village of Beit Ta’mar – Bethlehem, which will sabotage the water and electricity networks, obstruct traffic and destroy agricultural lands.

10/14/2020, the occupation authorities approved a plan to build 2,166 new settlement housing units in a number of settlements built on citizens’ lands in the West Bank governorates.

15/10/2020, the occupation authorities approved a plan to build 3,212 new settlement housing units distributed over a number of settlements built on citizens’ lands in the West Bank governorates.

15/10/2020, the occupation forces confiscated 11,200 dunums to establish three settlement nature reserves. The first is located east of the Ein Al-Hilweh and Al-Farsiyya areas between the settlements of “Maskiyot” and “Rotem”) in the northern Jordan Valley in Tubas Governorate. The second is in the Deir Hajla area and the third near the settlement of “Masuah”. It is located on citizens’ lands south of Al-Jiftlik village in Jericho Governorate.

10/23/2020, the Israeli Planning and Building Committee deposited a master plan for the establishment of a new settlement neighbourhood that includes the construction of 56 settlement units. The units include the construction of 6 buildings, each building of 5 floors) on both sides of Bypass Street No. 6 in the Ashqaria neighbourhood in the town of Beit Hanina, north of Jerusalem.

10/26/2020, the occupation authorities approved a detailed master plan to seize tens of dunams belonging to the village of Battir – Bethlehem in favour of settlement projects.

10/26/2020, the occupation government approved the start of construction of new settlement units east of “Nokdim” settlement, which is built on the lands of the town of Tuqu ‘and the village of Beit Ta’mar – Bethlehem.

Settler terrorist attacks:

2/10/2020, a settler was driving his vehicle in Khirbet Khallet Al-Niyas, in the town of Al-Samoa ‘- Hebron and ran over a herd of sheep owned by Ali Al-Awawda, killing 10 of them.

3/10/2020, a group of settlers in the Al-Lahf area of ​​the town of Huwara – Nablus attacked two civilians while they were carrying out engineering survey work, which led to bruises.

4/10/2020, a group of settlers in the Tel Rumeida neighbourhood in the Old City of Hebron beat several citizens of Abu Haykal.

5/10/2020, a group of settlers entered the citizens’ agricultural lands belonging to the village of Al-Jaba – Bethlehem and attacked the citizen: Moez Al-Din Al-Tous while he was working on his land.

7/10/2020, a group of settlers from “Yitzhar” settlement attacked citizens’ agricultural lands in the town of Hawara – Nablus, beating a number of Palestinian farmers while they were picking olive fruits from their lands, which resulted in bruising three citizens.

9/10/2020, the settlers of “Mofo Dotan” settlement, which is built on citizens ‘lands south of the town of Ya’bad – Jenin, prevented the citizen: Rafe’ Abu Bakr, a resident of the village of Ya’bad, from picking the olive fruit from his land near the settlement which led to the burning of about 446 olive trees.

12/10/2020, a group of settlers entered the citizens’ agricultural lands belonging to the village of Cyrenaica – Nablus and attacked a number of Palestinian farmers while they were picking the olive from their land, which resulted in wounding five civilians, and material damage to two vehicles.

13/10/2020, a group of settlers entered the citizens’ agricultural lands in the town of Ni’lin – Ramallah and attacked a number of Palestinian farmers while they were picking the olive from their land, which led to the injury of an elderly citizen with head wounds.

13/10/2020, a group of settlers were present on the road between the town of Qasra and the village of Jaloud, and they threw stones at the vehicles of the citizens passing by, which led to smashing the windows of two vehicles belonging to two residents of the village of Majdal Bani Fadel – Nablus.

10/17/2020, a group of settlers from “Shilo” settlement entered the citizens’ agricultural lands in Khirbet Serra, east of Qaryut village – Nablus and cut down the branches of 30 olive trees owned by the citizens.

10/18/2020, a group of settlers from “Alon Moreh” settlement pumped sewage water from inside the settlement to the citizens’ lands planted with olive fruit trees in the eastern side of the village of Deir Al Hatab – Nablus, in conjunction with the date of picking the olives.

10/19/2020, a settler was run over while driving his vehicle near the village of Deir Qaddis – Ramallah. Citizen: Muhammad Rabah Satih, a resident of Deir Qaddis village, was wounded and bruised.

23/10/2020, a group of settlers came to the south of the village of Burin – Nablus, and threw stones at the citizens and their vehicles, wounding one citizen and wounding two others with bruises.

10/26/2020, a group of settlers entered the citizens’ agricultural lands located between the villages of Yasouf and Iskaka-Salfit and attacked many Palestinian farmers while they were picking the olive from their land, and expelled them from the place.

10/28/2020, a settler ran into his vehicle on the main road near the village of Al-Rifaiya, east of the town of Yatta – Hebron, a resident of the village of Al-Rifaiya, seriously wounding him.

10/30/2020, a group of settlers from “Kiryat Arba” settlement, which is built on citizens ‘lands east of Hebron, attacked a number of citizens’ homes in Jaber neighbourhood in the old city of Hebron.