Summary of the Israeli Army and Colonial Violations, December 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 relies 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. Likewise, we rely on live journalists’ coverage on the ground.
During this month, there was a notable increase in settlement attacks’ pace, as settler gangs have targeted Palestinian homes and cars with stones on the main roads in an organized and simultaneous manner. There has been a surge in constructing settlements ordered by the Israeli authorities and institutions, in order to make a dramatic shift of demography in the Palestinian lands in favour of the Israeli Jews. Following is the details of these violations.
Table: The Israeli occupation and settlements and violations during December 2020
| The Violation | Figure |
| Martyrs | 3 martyrs |
| Wounded | 132 wounded |
| Detainees | 378 detainees |
| Destroying properties | 109 properties |
| Retention | 30 people |
| Displacement from the Al-Aqsa Mosque | 8 people |
| Storming into Palestinian residential areas | 418 cases |
| Abrupt Military Checkpoints | 485 checkpoints |
| House demolitions | 23 houses |
| Demolishing of Agricultural, Industrial and Commercial Facilities | 49 facilities |
| Shooting at the Palestinian Citizens | 213 cases |
| Settlement activities | 23 activities |
| Assaulting Holy Places | 52 cases |
| Settlers Terrorizing | 105 cases |
| Cutting, Burning and Uprooting Trees | 2850 trees |
| Bulldozing Agricultural Lands | 283 dunums |
| New outpost | 4 outposts |
| Approving new settlement plans | 7 plans |
| New Settlements roads | 1 road |
| Bid to build settlement units | 9000 units |
Martyrs and Injured:
During this month, three civilians were killed in the West Bank. On 5 December 2020, the occupation forces fired live bullets in the village of Mughayer at civilians protesting against the confiscation of land, which led to the death of the child: Ali Ayman Nasr Abu Alya, 13, from Mughayir village. On 12\12\ 2020, Abdel Nasser Walid Halawa, 56 years old (with special needs), Nablus, died from his severe wounds. On 22 December 2020, Near Bab Hatta (one of the doors leading to Al-Aqsa Mosque), the Israeli forces shot at the child Mahmoud Omar Sadiq Alawneh Kamil, 17, from the town of Qabatiya in Jenin governorate, which led to his death.
However, 132 Palestinian citizens were injured during the past month, 130 of whom are from the West Bank and two from the Gaza Strip.
Arrest, detention, storming of residential areas, and deportation of citizens from Jerusalem:
During this month, the Israeli occupation arrested 478 citizens, 373 from the West Bank and 5 from Gaza. Besides, the Israeli occupation deported 8 Jerusalemites from Al-Aqsa Mosque for various periods. This month, 418 cases of the Israeli occupation army stormed Palestinian residential areas, while 30 citizens were detained while raiding Palestinian homes and at the occupation checkpoints for different periods.
Erecting military checkpoints and shooting at Palestinian citizens:
During the month, the occupation army sat up 485 abrupt checkpoints to disrupt the movement of citizens throughout the West Bank. The occupation army opened fire on Palestinian citizens in 213 cases, including 73 cases in the Gaza Strip and the rest in the West Bank. The shooting cases included 5 of airstrikes in the Gaza Strip.
Home and infrastructure demolition and property destruction:
During this month, the occupation demolished 23 Palestinian residential buildings, and the demolitions were concentrated in Jerusalem, in the Hebron governorate, and the northern valleys. The occupation forces also demolished 49 Palestinian facilities, including barracks, sheep pens, garages, shops, agricultural rooms, and others. Demolition concentrated in Jerusalem and the northern Jordan Valley.
The occupation army destroyed furniture in 66 houses, damaged citizens’ cars, uprooted olive trees, and demolished barracks, as well as 43 cases in which citizens’ cars, recording cameras, personal property, and equipment were confiscated.
Violation of holy places and health and education institutions:
The West Bank witnessed 25 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. IIbrahimi Mosque in Hebron was also assaulted. The occupation forces also attacked the medical staff in 6 cases, while a school was stormed, and its students were intimidated. A force of the occupation army stormed a Palestinian medical complex in Ramallah, endangering patients’ lives suffering from coronavirus. Schools were attacked in two cases. The most prominent of which was when the Israeli occupation forces fired tear gas canisters in the village of Anin in the yard of Anin Secondary School – Jenin during school hours, which resulted in dozens of students and teachers suffocating from gas inhalation.
Terror of the occupation army and settlers:
This month, settlers carried out 105 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:
1 December 2020: In the city of Salfit, the occupation forces razed an area of about 50 dunums of citizens’ land planted with olive trees, to establish a new settlement outpost.
2 December 2020: The occupation forces set up a tent on the former Dotan evacuated camp’s rubble near the entrance to the town of Araba – Jenin, and several soldiers were inside.
2 December 2020: The occupation forces swept away an agricultural land area in Kafr Ad-Dik – Salfit near an agricultural facility belonging to settlers.
6 December 2020: The occupation authorities in the city of Jerusalem approved a plan to build 9000 settlement housing units in settlement of Atarot, north of Jerusalem, at the expense of the lands of Qalandia Airport.
6 December 2020: The Minister of Transportation approved four new settlement projects under the pretext of facilitating settlers’ movement. The settlement projects are the bypass road around Al-Laban Al-Gharbi – Ramallah, and “Modiin Illit” Street, the development of the Qalandia military checkpoint, and the road planning between the settlement of “Adam” and the town of Hizma in the governorate Jerusalem.
6 December 2020: The occupation forces in Al-Farisiya – the northern Jordan Valley have installed several mobile homes (caravans).
7 December 2020: The occupation forces, accompanied by engineers and surveyors, carried out engineering surveying of an area estimated at 35,000 dunums of land between Khirbet al-Hama and Mafraq al-Malih in the northern Jordan Valley.
7 December 2020: The occupation forces issued a military order requiring the confiscation of hundreds of dunams of citizens’ lands in the sites of Al-Marj and Jabal Al-Nathr in the village of Burin, the sites of Bab Al-Marj, Khallet Al-Marj and Al-Oqda in the village of Madama, and the sites of Lehf Salman and Al-Aqdah in the village of Asira Al-Qibliya, with the aim of expanding the settlement of “Yitzhar” and adding settlement units. New and opened street serving settlers.
8 December 2020: In Al-Khader – Bethlehem, the occupation forces swept areas of agricultural land, uprooting about 130 olive trees and 50 seedlings of grapes.
11 December 2020: A group of settlers in the Baqa area near the settlement of “Kiryat Arba” built a brick room on a plot of private land for the citizen: Aref Jaber, in an attempt to seize it, and also beat members of his family, pulling them out of the land and preventing them from entering it.
15 December 2020: The occupation forces razed near the entrance to the Yusufiya cemetery in the Old City of Jerusalem a week after demolishing the stairs and wall of the Yusufiya cemetery located near the Lions Gate (one of the doors leading to the Al-Aqsa Mosque), as part of the implementation of the “path of the biblical garden” inside the cemetery.
16 December 2020: The Organizing Committee of the occupation municipality in Jerusalem approved a plan to build 8,300 new settlement housing units for housing, industry and trade purposes. The plan includes building towers up to 30 floors high in the area extending from the lands of the village of Beit Safafa and al-Baqa’a and the new industrial zone “Talpiot” to the village Al-Walaja. (Where the implementation of the project is scheduled to start at the beginning of 2021 and work will continue until 2040). Near the village of Soba, the occupation forces bulldozed a well to collect rainwater and an agricultural land area estimated at 50 dunums along the separation wall. This led to the uprooting of dozens of olive trees.
17 December 2020: A group of settlers entered the lands of citizens on Jebel al-Jumah in the town of Halhul, and set up several tents on the site, in an attempt to establish a settlement outpost.
17 December 2020: The occupation authorities in Jerusalem have prepared the necessary infrastructure to build a settlement neighbourhood above the Rababa Valley in the Silwan neighbourhood of Jerusalem.
22 December 2020: The occupation forces carried out engineering surveying and bulldozed areas of Palestinian lands located behind the separation wall and belonging to the town of Azzun and Kafr Laqif and Isla’s villages.
23 December 2020: The occupation forces placed in the citizens’ lands behind the separation wall and belonging to the town of Habla, a military order extending the validity of the confiscation of lands behind the wall north of the town.
23 December 2020: A group of settlers, near the settlement of “Itamar”, bulldozed areas of the lands of the citizens in the Khirbet and Khallet Mons areas of the village Awarta – Nablus.
24 December 2020: The occupation forces, near the settlement of “Brokhin”, established on the lands of the town of Broqin, completed the construction of a side road 1 km long in the citizens’ lands along the bypass road (Trans-Samaria).
29 December 2020: In Jerusalem, the occupation authorities have begun implementing the second phase of the light rail project over a total distance of 22 km, intending to link the occupied city of Jerusalem with its eastern and western parts to a transportation network for the occupation, which starts from the village of Issawiya and the colony of “French Hill” and near The Hebrew University reaches the western part of Jerusalem, passing through the “Talpiot” industrial zone, to the village of Beit Saffaf, to the settlement of Gilo, southwest of Jerusalem.
30 December 2020: The occupation authorities began digging near Al-Shuhada Street entrance in the Old City of Hebron to build settlement units on an area of land. A military order was previously issued to seize it and turn it into a military base—executive occupation army in the city.
31 December 2020: The occupation forces, west of Al-Jab’a village – Bethlehem, swept an area of about 70 dunums of the citizens’ agricultural lands, which led to the uprooting of about 300 olive trees and the demolition of a well to collect water.
The settler terrorist attacks:
4 December 2020: A group of settlers in the Abu Qandil area in the northern Jordan Valley attacked many shepherds in Wadi Al-Faw.
5 December 2020: A settler stormed the Church of Gethsemane in Jerusalem and set fire to it, which led to damage in some seats, as several citizens managed to turn out the fire and pursue the settler quickly.
6 December 2020: A group of “Rahalim” settlers entered the citizens’ agricultural village of Yasouf – Salfit and cut down the branches of about 42 olive trees. Another group of “Rafafa” settlers entered the agricultural lands of the citizens west of the village of Haris – Salfit, and uprooted ten trees, and a third group of “Brokhin” settlers entered the agricultural lands of the citizens of Kafr Ad-Dik – Salfit, and cut off the branches of about 15 olive trees.
9 December 2020: A group of settlers entered the western town of Al-Mazra’a, Ramallah, and attacked the citizen: Samhan Shreiteh, 65, while he was on his land, and sprayed pepper gas on his face, which led to his suffocation.
10 December 2020: a settler in the Silwan neighbourhood in Jerusalem attacked the two children: Samir Ruwaidi, 6, and his cousin, Muhammad, 8, while they were meters away from her home.
12 December 2020: A group of settlers in the Old City of Hebron threw a Molotov cocktail at the house of citizen: Mahmoud Abu Hayya.
13 December 2020: A group of “Ramat Yishai” settlers in the Tel Rumeida neighbourhood in the Old City of Hebron attacked the citizen: Muhannad Qafisha, which resulted in bruising his head.
14 December 2020: A settler was run over by his vehicle in the town of Huwara. The citizen: Hana Morshed, and her child, Jude, 5, caused bruises to them. Yatta, which led to the burning of about 400 olive trees, and a group of armed settlers near Susiya, east of Yatta, attacked many citizens while they were grazing their sheep.
16 December 2020: A group of settlers, south of Rogeeb – Nablus, uprooted about 60 olive plants, while a group of settlers from the settlement outpost “Ibi Hanahil” on the outskirts of the village of Kisan – Bethlehem uprooted about 250 olive plants.
17 December 2020: The occupation authorities in Jerusalem have prepared the necessary infrastructure to build a settlement above Wadi al-Rababa in the Silwan neighbourhood of Jerusalem.
12 December 2020: A group of settlers were present near the southern entrance to the town of Silat al-Dhahr-Jenin, and threw stones at the vehicles of citizens passing by on the main street, Jenin – Nablus. Meanwhile, a group of “Ma’aleh Levona” settlers entered the eastern village of Laban and attacked the citizen: Khaled Daraghmeh. They also vandalized the water network and the spring, took off the Khan’s doors, and broke orange tree branches in the area. A group of settlers also entered the citizens’ lands belonging to Mughayir-Ram God’s village and cut down the branches of about 50 olive trees.
20 December 2020: A group of Yitzhar settlers attacked the citizen: Nasser Muhammad Samara from Nablus governorate and wounded him, while a group of settlers in the southeast of Yatta – Hebron attacked some Palestinian farmers and shepherds, wounding a citizen. Several of them were bruised, and ten sheep were stolen. Also, a group of armed settlers in the Tel Rumeida neighbourhood and Al-Shuhada Street in the Old City of Hebron threw stones at citizens’ homes and threatened to deport them and seize their homes.
21 December 2020: A group of settlers in the Ain al-Hilweh area in the northern Jordan Valley attacked many citizens while they were grazing sheep, wounding one of them. A group of settlers also entered the lands of Jalud village, and uprooted and stole about 50 olive seedlings, while a group attacked One of the settlers of “Susiya” settlement, located east of Yatta town, beating many Palestinian farmers from the Al-Harini family, which resulted in bruising a number of them.
22 December 2020: A group of settlers stormed north of Huwara – Nablus and threw stones at the citizens’ homes and many citizens’ vehicles’ windows. A group of settlers were also present near the village of Beit Iba – Nablus, and threw stones at the citizens’ vehicles, while a third group was near “Shafi Shimron” checkpoint and near the Deir Sharaf village roundabout – Nablus, and threw stones at the civilians passing vehicles, which resulted in wounding a citizen as a result of being hit by a stone in the head. Three other civilians were also injured. A group of settlers entered the outskirts of Urif village – Nablus and threw stones at citizens’ homes. Another group also threw stones at the civilians ‘vehicles passing by near the “Kfar Etzion” settlement junction (on the main road in Bethlehem – Hebron). A group of “Tekoa” settlers on the main street near the town of Janatah threw stones at the vehicles of citizens passing by. Stones were thrown at the civilians’ vehicles passing by, causing material damage to many vehicles, and wounding two civilians (one of them a child), with injuries and bruises.
23 December 2020: A settler ran over the citizen: Muhammad Ansawi, a resident of the town of Abwein, wounding him. Settler gangs launched a series of attacks on Palestinian civilians’ vehicles passing by Nablus – Qalqilya road next to the Kedumim settlement.
24 December 2020: settler gangs continued to organize attacks on Palestinian cars and homes.
Attacks were reported in the eastern outskirts of the village of Jalud – Nablus. The gangs also uprooted 35 olive trees.
27 December 2020: Groups of settlers attacked citizens’ homes in the French Hill area and Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood in Jerusalem, wounding a citizen.
29 December 2020: A group of settlers were present near the “Yitzhar” settlement junction and threw stones at the citizens’ vehicles passing by the bypass road leading to the village junction in Qalqilya governorate resulted in material damage to some vehicles. Another group of settlers threw stones at Palestinian civilians passing by on the main street, Nablus – Tulkarm.
31 December 2020: A group of settlers threw stones at Ramallah’s citizens’ vehicles passing by.
Another group of settlers stood near the entrance to the settlement of “Kedumim” and threw stones at the vehicles of citizens passing on Qalqilya – Nablus’s main road. At the same time, a group of settlers attacked a citizen, wounding him and bruising him.
