MONDOWEISS — We are privileged to get regular reports on Israeli human rights violations in the Hebron district of the occupation from Abulhadi Hantash, a cartographer for the Palestinian Authority. The Hebron district is the southernmost and largest region of the West Bank, with over a quarter of its size and population: approximately 375,000 acres (1.5 million dunams) and 706,000 Palestinian people.
As a record of the everyday cruelty and crimes of the occupation, Hantash’s list is unrivaled, for he is a field surveyor who has worked in the area for decades, documenting Israeli abuses as they are committed. As Hantash told me, “I know the people of the territories and they know me. Therefore, when anything happens in any area, they immediately call me and I’ll go to them to watch the occupation crimes on the ground.”
Writing to me earlier this week, he said that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had given a “green light” to Israeli soldiers and settlers to attack Palestinian citizens; and he blamed American support for such conduct:
“The US position, which supports the occupation, has always encouraged the occupation to murder and settlement. The US position is biased to protect the occupation and the occupation crimes in all international forums, ignoring international norms, as well as all human and moral laws.”
What follows is his report for 2015. –Susie Kneedler.
2015 Hebron District, West Bank, Special Report: Crimes committed against Palestinians by the Israeli occupation forces and Israeli settlers.
The area covers 375,000 acres (1.5 million dunams)
The Palestinian population includes 706,000+.
Many types of military occupation attacks .
2014 was the year of settlement expansion. 2015 is the year of the settlement expansion and street executions. These were done by experienced, senior Israeli military officers. Young Palestinian men, women, and children bled to death as military officials prevented ambulances from reaching them. The reprehensible atrocities committed by the ‘finest’ military in the world is described below.
Palestinians killed: 54 Martyrs
Land Confiscation and Dredging Operations: 1181 acres (military and settlers)
Uprooting or burning of trees: 7335 trees, close to Yatta, Halhul, Dahria, Bet Ula, Shukh, and Dura
Preventing of field work (agriculture): 22 cases
Damage to agricultural crops: 6 cases,: 225 acres destroyed
Construction of units & caravans: Added 115 new housing units & multiple caravans
The construction of settler roads: 1 case
Military orders 39 in the old city of Hebron, 2 in Yatta, 3 in Dahria, 2 in Tarqumia, 2 near Kiryat Arba = 976 Acres
Stop building and demolition notices: 215 orders , in Idna, Bet Ula, Yatta, Halhul, Hebron, Ramadin, Dahria, Al Kom, Bet Umer, Karma, and Dura
The Demolition of Homes and Bombing Attacks
Demolition of houses / barracks rooms / agricultural structures / factories / caves / tents: 52 cases
Demolition water wells: 11 wells
Stop building orders: 235 orders
Evacuation orders: 34 cases covering 538 acres primarily in Dura, Dhariya and Beit Ummar
Destroying / dynamiting doors of homes or shops: 178 doors
Private homes seized for military barracks: 190 homes
Closure of shops under gun threats: 17 shops
Breaking into shops and smashing contents: 70 shops
Confiscation of farm machinery: 4 cases
Military Operations
Raids of private homes: 2598 raid attacks throughout Hebron district
Shooting at homes and civilians; Theft of property; Stealing of gold coins; Smashing contents of homes; Taking computers, mobile devices, cameras, and DVD players; Raiding institutional supplies; Stealing from gas stations, 1067 cases
Raids of schools: 15 cases
Raids of institutions and factories: 75 cases
Mixing food contents so they are inedible by the family: 12 cases
Storming villages / towns / refugee camps: 1890 storming operations
Shooting at citizens: 472 cases
Gas bombs thrown: 590 cases
Stun grenades used: 382 cases (170 decibels, hearing loss at 120 decibels)
Arrest of citizens: up to 1600, many released in hours, others still in custody
Beating of citizens: 367 citizens
Chasing pedestrians in army jeeps: 3 cases, running over 4 people
Chasing workers on the job: 54 workers
Forcing citizens to undress: 123 cases
Attacking worshipers: On a daily basis
Assault on school students, teachers, university students: 42 cases
Attacks on farmers – 54 cases, journalists – 28 cases, foreigners –4 cases,
Attacks on demonstrators – 23 cases
Using citizens as human shields: 15 cases
Kidnapping of citizens: 6 citizens
Sexual provocations: 22 cases
Joint army attacks with settlers: 20 cases
Blocking ambulance and fire crews: 45 cases
Closure of roads / entrances to villages and towns: 1000 cases, some are still closed
Detention of Palestinian vehicles: 590 vehicles
Preventing access to the Tomb of the Patriarchs: DAILY
Declaration of closed military zones: 39 cases
Storming of mosques: 2 cases
Destruction of water networks and electricity networks : 7 cases
Closure of institutions: 5 cases
Erecting new military towers: 3 cases
Prohibiting access to farmland: 5 cases
Landing military aircraft: 4 cases of operations
Settler Attacks and Outpost Gangs
Attacking homes: 220 cases
Smashing cars: 29 cars
Uprooting and stealing trees: 800 trees
Beating Palestinian citizens: 83 citizens
Attacking farmers, school students, children, shopkeepers, ambulance crews, shepherds: 177 cases
Sexual provocation: 80 cases
Assaults on graves: 1 case
Blocking roads.: 16 cases
Attacks on people : 38 cases
Death threats: 10 cases
Smashing solar cells: 6 cases
Storming villages and towns: 14 cases
Running over citizens: 18 cases of Hebron settlers ramming, hitting,and running over Palestinians with their vehicles. Many of these were children. These unspeakable crimes are on an upsurge from the 10 cases in 2014. Six cases are included in the PLO report, “List Settler Violence/Terror Arracks January 1 – July 27, 2015“and the remaining 12 are pending in the July-December 2015 report.
Registering of Palestinians in Hebron’s Old City with numbers next to their identity (to intimidate, as was done in Nazi Germany).
Prepared by Abdulhadi Hantash, Expert on Land and Settlement, Land Surveyor and Cartographer for the Palestinian Authority. All rights reserved.
So much for the ‘Friends of Israel’ groups of MP’s in the UK Conservative and Labour Parties, what a bunch of truly evil and demonic people.
its great that someone is keeping a record.
The seizing of private residences for military barracks cannot be justified under any circumstances. This is a great ‘behaving just like the Nazis’ comparison for when I argue with Pro Israelis (should I ever encounter any such rare deluded individuals)