The Israeli Violations of International Law in Occupied State of Palestine

Media Briefs

March 22, 2015

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and members of his cabinet have started their election campaign by launching attacks, destruction and incitements against the Palestinians. In the first quarter of 2015, Israel continued its systematic violations of the international and humanitarian law in the occupied State of Palestine. The main numbers noticed during this period were: 7 people killed, 201 injured, 225 public and private properties confiscated or destroyed, among them 24 homes. In addition to the continuous construction and approval of illegal settlement units in the occupied State of Palestine.

Even more alarming were statements made by Israeli government officials which blatantly reveal the Israeli culture of hate, incitement and racism against Palestinians in general and the Palestinian Arab citizens of the State of Israel, including one recent statement by the Israeli foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, who called on ‘beheading the heads of the Palestinians’: “Whoever is against us, there’s nothing else to do. We have to lift up an ax and remove his head, otherwise we won’t survive here.” He added: "Israeli citizens who wave a black flag on Nakba Day [on which Israeli Arabs and Palestinians mark Israel’s establishment as a tragedy] can leave, and I am willing to donate them to [Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas] very happily." (Jpost - March 9)

While Israel stepped up its campaign against the Palestinians, the International community chose to be silent during the 3 months period. The Israeli government understood this silence from the international community as signal to continue with its destructive policies against the Palestinian people. The recent statement of Benjamin Netanyahu, who spoke clearly against the two-state solution and the creation of an independent Palestinian state, is a true reflection of the Israeli Government’s future agenda.

Comparison Table of Violation Events Over the Past Three Months

EVENT	Jan. 2015	Feb. 2015	Mar. 2015
Killings	2	2	3
Injuries	71	81	49
Arrests	404	329	219
Raids	447	437	220
Flying Checkpoints	469	452	268
Attacks	288	268	176
Provocation of Palestinian Forces	11	8	3
Attacks on Property	74	64	63
Home Occupation	19	2	5
Home Demolition	8	9	7
Closure of Crossing Points	167	152	84
Attacks on Religious Sites	23	23	13
Settlement Activity & Settler Violence	63	64	40

Summary Table of Main Violations Over the Past Three Months

Event	West Bank	Gaza Strip	Total
Killing	5	2	7
Related Incident: On February 24th 2015, the Israeli forces raided Al-Duhisheh camp in Bethlehem, clashed with several residents as they stormed several homes and as a result killed Jihad Al-Ja’fari.
Injuries	190	11	201
Details: Injuries included 60 children, 2 Women and 5 Fishermen.
Attacks	582	150	732
Details: Attacks included confrontations between the Israeli military and Palestinians, attacks during raids into Palestinian residential areas, attacks from Israeli military posts on civilian homes and property, attacks from military checkpoints towards Palestinian residents and vehicles and attacks by the Israeli navy vessels against Palestinian fishermen & territory.
Raids	1095	9	1104
Details: Majority of raids were reported to have taken place in the districts of Jerusalem (71), Ramallah (134), Jenin (120), Tulkarem (95), Qalqiliya (114), Nablus (130), Bethlehem (110), Hebron (194). Israeli military raids also included Tubas, Salfit, Jericho and the Gaza Strip.
Arrests	903	49	95
Details: Majority of arrests took place in the districts of Jerusalem (292), Ramallah (107), Bethlehem (77), Hebron (199), Gaza Strip (49). Among those arrested by the Israeli military were 120 children, 18 women, 13 Security officers, 2 Journalist, 1 Lawyer, 6 University Students and 8 fishermen.
Destruction/ Confiscation of Public & Private Property	192	9	201
Details: Damages included home furniture, vehicles and olive trees. Additionally, Israeli forces handed out demolition orders.
Home Demolitions	24	0	24
Related Incidents: During February 2015, The Israeli forces served demolition orders for three homes in Al-Haddaddiyah village located in North Jordan valley area in Tubas and three homes in Al-Bustan area in Silwan neighborhood in East Jerusalem.
Attacks on Religious Sites	59	0	59
Details: Israeli settlers raided the vicinity of Al-Aqsa mosque compound in the old city of Jerusalem on several occasions. One incident included setting fire to a church and spraying racist graffiti on church walls in the old city of Jerusalem. Additionally, Israeli settlers installed several posters and signs stating “Sulimans Temple” near Al-Aqsa mosque compound in the old city of Jerusalem.
Assault on Educational Sector	4	0	4
Details: Israeli military forces stormed a girl’s school in Yatta town in Hebron District, schools in Al-Labban Al-Sharqiya and Al-Sweisa villages. Fired stun and tear gas grenades towards a school in Nablus, raided a school in the old city of Hebron. (Additionally, they served a military order for the demolition in the school in southeast Yatta in Hebron.)
Assault on medical Sector	2	0	2
Details: Storming a medical clinic at the village of Wadi Fokeen in the district of Bethlehem, and a medical clinic at the village of Obean in Ramallah.
Settler Violence	139	0	139
Details: Israeli settlers stoned residents and vehicles (also slashed tires), stormed homes, uprooted trees, assaulted residents, ran over children with their vehicles and stormed several villages and towns.
Settlement Activity	28	0	28