Summary of the Israeli Colonial Violations in the West Bank, February 2021
Maher Abed
This report briefly summarizes the Israeli occupation violations of human rights against the Palestinian lands and people during February 2021. 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.
This month, we notice an increase in terrorist attacks by settlers against Palestinian citizens, their properties and farms, which reached 192 attacks. The occupation forces uprooted thousands of Palestinian trees, destroyed dozens of homes and facilities, and bulldozed hundreds of acres. The Israeli occupation forces demolished 192 houses and institutions and confiscated 212 acres of Palestinian lands. And there were more than 73 recorded settlers attacks against the Palestinians.
Table: The Israeli occupation and settlements and violations during August 2020
| The Violation | Figure |
| Martyrs | 4 martyrs |
| Wounded | 62 wounded |
| Detainees | 442 detainees |
| Retention | 23 people |
| Displacement from the Al-Aqsa Mosque | 17 people |
| Storming into Palestinian residential areas | 369 cases |
| Abrupt Military Checkpoints | 307 checkpoints |
| House demolitions | 61houses |
| Demolishing agricultural, industrial and commercial facilities | 131 establishments |
| Shooting the Palestinian citizens | 212 cases |
| Destruction and confiscation of property | 172 cases |
| Assault on the holy places | 23 cases |
| Terror of settlers | 73 cases |
| Cutting, burning and destroying trees | 400 trees |
| Levelling citizens’ lands | 300 dunums |
| Settlement activities | 11 activities |
| Land confiscation | 212 dunums |
Martyrs and Injured:
Israeli forces killed four Palestinian citizens this month. On February 5, 2021, a settler in the Jabal al-Raysan area, on which the settlement outpost “Sadeh Ephraim” was established near Ras Karkar’s Ramallah, shot dead Khaled Nofal, 34, from the village. On February 10, 2021, a settler ran over and killed a resident of Kafr Qalil in the Nablus governorate. On February 12, 2021, a settler ran his vehicle on the main road between Ain Al-Bayda’s village and the village of Bardala in the northern Jordan Valley while participating in an environmental route to support the town of Kordala and the Jordan Valley. This led to the death of Bilal Shehadeh, a 52-year-old female resident of Al-Bireh, Ramallah Governorate. Two others were wounded. On February 17, 2021, the occupation army force stormed Janata Bethlehem and searched eight homes. This caused a heart attack to Rahma Khalil Abu Ashour, 67, and she died.
While the number of civilians injured during this month at the hands of the occupation forces and settlers reached 62 citizens, including four children, a female citizen and a paramedic.
Arrest, detention, storming of residential areas, and deportation of citizens from Jerusalem:
During this month, the occupation arrested 441 citizens, including 440 in the West Bank and one in Gaza. Among them were 35 children, two women, two university students and a journalist. The following is a distribution of detainees according to the governorates: 128 Jerusalem, 66 Ramallah, 53 Jenin, 12 Tubas, 21 Tulkarm, 17 Qalqilya, 44 Nablus, 5 Salfit, 3 Jericho, 30 Bethlehem, 61 Hebron, and one from Gaza.
The Israeli occupation forces also detained 23 citizens and stormed Palestinian villages and cities at the occupation checkpoints, 21 in the West Bank and 2 in the Gaza Strip. The occupation forces also deported 17 Jerusalemite citizens from Al-Aqsa Mosque for different periods.
This month, there were 369 incursions by the occupation army into Palestinian residential communities, including 361 in the West Bank and 8 in the Gaza Strip. According to the governorates, the following is the distribution of these incursions: 41 Jerusalem, 47 Ramallah, 69 Jenin, 11 Tubas, 23 Tulkarm, 17 Qalqilya, 50 Nablus, 14 Salfit, 4 Jericho, 40 Bethlehem, 45 Hebron, and 7 from the Gaza Strip.
Erecting military checkpoints and shooting at Palestinian citizens:
During the month, the occupation army established 307 checkpoints to disrupt citizens’ movement throughout the West Bank. These checkpoints were distributed over the governorates as follows: 9 Jerusalem, 53 Ramallah, 1 Tubas, 1 Jenin, 1 Tulkarm, 57 Qalqilya, 24 Nablus, 44 Salfit, 33 Jericho 52 Bethlehem, 32 Hebron.
While the occupation army opened fire on Palestinian citizens in 212 cases, 148 were in the West Bank and the rest in the Gaza Strip. The shootings are distributed as following: 95 by military checkpoints, 53 during incursions, 23 by gunboats, and 41 by military bases.
Home and infrastructure demolition and property destruction:
During this month, the occupation forces demolished 61 Palestinian residential buildings. The demolitions were distributed as follows: 45 houses in the northern valley, 10 houses in Jerusalem, 4 houses in Hebron, a house in Bethlehem, and a house in Jenin.
The occupation forces also demolished 131 Palestinian facilities, including barracks and sheep pens, garages, shops, agricultural rooms, and others. The demolitions were distributed as follows: 5 in Jerusalem, 51 in Jenin, 2, 57 in Tubas, 7 in Bethlehem, 9 in Hebron, one in Ramallah, and one in Tulkarm.
The occupation army destroyed 156 home furniture, damaging citizens cars, uprooting olive trees, and demolishing barracks, as well as 16 cases in which citizens’ cars, recording cameras, personal belongings, and equipment were confiscated.
Violation of sanctities and health institutions:
The West Bank witnessed 23 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 the mosque guards, and preventing the staff of the Reconstruction Committee from maintenance and restoration work inside the Al-Qibli prayer hall and the Dome of the Rock Mosque.
Terror of the occupation army and settlers:
This month, settlers carried out 73 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:
2/8/2021: A group of settlers in the region of Iraq Milady, north of Nablus, did settlement work on the Palestinian citizens’ lands to expand the boundaries of the settlement of Yitzhar.
2/8/2021: The occupation forces razed Palestinian lands in the southern side of Ematin village – Qalqilya, near Emmanuel settlement’s industrial zone to expand the industrial site.
2/9/2021 The occupation forces in the north of the Maskiot settlement established in the northern Jordan Valley began sweeping lands in Palestinian lands to expand the settlement.
2/10/2021: In the areas under Israeli control in the Old City of Hebron, the occupation forces began to change the streets’ names and change Jaber neighbourhood’s name to the Jewish neighbourhoods located in the middle of the Old City of Hebron.
2/11/2021: The occupation forces, accompanied by Israeli surveyors, carried out engineering surveying an area of about 500 dunums of the lands of Kisan village, south of Bethlehem, to seize it and establish a new settlement outpost near the Abi Hanhal settlement outpost.
2/14/2021: The occupation forces issued a military order to confiscate 19 dunums of citizens’ lands west of Azzun Atma village – Qalqilya to establish 66 settlement housing units to expand the Oranit settlement, which is built on the village lands.
2/15/2021: The occupation forces continued to raze Palestinian agricultural lands in Wadi Abd al-Rahman, north of Salfit, to build 800 new housing units to expand the Ariel settlement.
21/2/2021: The Israeli authorities, on the northern side of Ali Zahav settlement built on the lands of Kafr El Deek – Salfit, razed a settlement road from the settlement to Wadi Abu Saif in Kafr El Deek town, towards the lands of Deir Ballut.
2/22/2021: In the Old City of Hebron, the occupation forces dug extensions and settlement infrastructure behind the central bus station (the old garage) inside Al-Shuhada Street to expand the military site established on citizens’ lands in the city centre.
2/23/2021: The occupation forces razed in the eastern side of Abu Dis – Jerusalem, an area of Palestinian land near Kedar settlement.
2/25/2021: the occupation forces issued a military order to confiscate 193 dunums of lands from Deir Dibwan and Ramon, both east of Ramallah and Al-Bireh Governorate to establish a landfill for the benefit of settlers.
The most prominent settler terrorist attacks:
1/2/2021: near the junction of Yitzhar settlement, north of Nablus, a group of settlers threw stones at Palestinian vehicles. Thus, the passing cars were damaged.
1/2/2021: A group of settlers stormed the town of Kafel Haris – Salfit and threw stones at the citizens’ homes and vehicles. As a result, windows in 3 houses were shattered, and 15 cars were damaged.
2/2/2021: A group of settlers arrived at the Kedumim settlement junction and threw stones at the Palestinian vehicles passing by on Qalqilya- Nablus’s main road.
2/6/2021: A group of settlers from the Ramat Yishai settlement, established in the Tel Rumeida neighbourhood in the old city of Hebron, beat the citizen: Haitham Tayseer Abu Aisha while he was near his house, causing him bruises.
7/2/2021: A group of settlers from the Itamar settlement entered the citizens’ agricultural lands in Khirbet Tana, east of Beit Furik – Nablus, and attacked the farmers, forcing them to leave their lands and spraying their agricultural lands with toxic chemicals.
2/8/2021: A group of settlers entered the archaeological area of Al-Khan in the eastern village of Laban – Nablus and severely beat the citizen: Muhammad Daraghmeh while he was on his land near Al-Khan.
2/9/2021: A group of settlers from the settlement outpost Gilad stole three horses from Tal- Nablus’s lands, owned by Muhammad Asida.
2/9/2021: A group of settlers from Ma’on settlement, located east of Yatta – Hebron, entered the citizens’ lands belonging to the village of Al-Tuwani, and cut down 50 olive trees belonging to the Al-Rabe’i family.
12/2/2021: A group of settlers from Bracha settlement severely beat a citizen of Burin – Nablus and pushed him on the rocks, wounding him and breaking a hand and foot.
12/2/2021: A group of settlers stormed the ruins of (Homesh) settlement, located south of Silat al-Dhahr – Jenin, and attacked two citizens, wounding them with bruises.
12/2/2021: A group of settlers kidnapped the citizen: Muhammad Ketana, a resident of Al-Nazla Al-Gharbia village – Tulkarm, while he was in Al-Mughraqa area near Al-Nazla Al-Sharqiya village, and took him to “Hermesh” settlement, and the occupation forces released him from the settlers later.
2/13/2021: A group of settlers stormed the Bab al-Rahma cemetery adjacent to the Al-Aqsa Mosque’s eastern wall, and the “Talmudic” rituals were performed near Bab Al-Asbat (one of the doors leading to Al-Aqsa Mosque).
2/14/2021: A group of settlers threw stones at Palestinian vehicles near Rammalh, injuring a woman.
2/15/2021: A group of settlers near the Eastern Laban village – Nablus, severely beat the citizen: Salah Daraghmeh, a resident of the Eastern Laban village, while he was planting olive seedlings on his land. As a result, he was bruised.
2/17/2021: A group of settlers was present near the entrance to the ruins of the evacuated (Homesh) settlement and severely beat the citizen: Abdul Aziz Hantuli, from the town of Silat al-Dhahr – Jenin. Stones were thrown at the two citizens: Siham Abd al-Salam and Shuq al-Bayrawi, from Fondoumia – Jenin. As a result, they were bruised, and stones were thrown towards Palestinian vehicles passing by on the main street, Jenin – Nablus.
20/2/2021: A security guard from Bracha settlement entered the citizens’ agricultural lands in the eastern side of the village of Iraq Burin – Nablus and fired randomly at several citizens to prevent them from reclaiming their lands in the area.
2/21/2021: A group of settlers entered the agricultural lands of the citizens in the Aruq Zunaid area, south of the village of Al-Walaja – Bethlehem, and cut down about 70 olive trees, owned by the citizen: Fawzi Mahmoud Khalifa.
2/21/2021: A group of settlers east of Khalli Makhoul and Khirbet Samra in the northern Jordan Valley fenced off large land areas to be used as pastures for cows.
2/22/2021: Near the settlement outpost of Givat Asaf, located southeast of the village of Beitin – Ramallah, a group of settlers threw stones at Palestinian civilians’ vehicles on the road leading to the Al Mahkma checkpoint.
2/24/2021: A group of settlers from the settlement outpost “Ehya” stole seven sheep from inside (Berks) for raising sheep in Jaloud village – Nablus, owned by the citizen: Hisham Hammoud.
2/26/2021: A group of settlers entered the citizens’ agricultural lands near the settlement outpost of Ayoub Hanahl, which belongs to the village of Kisan, south of the town of Tekoa – Bethlehem, and uprooted 20 olive seedlings belonging to the citizen: Ayoub Abayat.
2/27/2021: A group of settlers entered the citizens’ agricultural lands on the outskirts of Asira al-Qibliya – Nablus and attacked the homes of the citizens in the village.
2/28/2021: A group of settlers in the neighborhoods of Tel Rumeida, Haret Jaber and Wadi al-Nasara in the old city of Hebron threw stones at citizens’ homes.
2/28/2021: A group of settlers attacked a number of citizens in the French Hill area in the city of Jerusalem; Thus, the child, Muhammad Hassan Abu al-Hummus, 17, from the city of Jerusalem, was wounded in the face.
2/28/2021: A group of settlers threw stones at citizens’ vehicles in the Al-Misrara neighbourhood in Jerusalem. As a result, several vehicles were damaged.
