Human rights violations in OPT – PLO Memorandum/Note verbale from Jordan

QUESTION OF THE VIOLATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS IN THE OCCUPIED ARAB TERRITORIES, INCLUDING PALESTINE
Note verbale dated 25 January 1984 from the Permanent Mission
of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan to the to the Assistant-Secretary-General, Centre for Human Rights

It would be appreciated if the documents attached were circulated as a document of the fortieth session of the Commission on Human Rights.

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Annex

LETTER DATED 23 JANUARY 1984 FROM THE PERMANENT OBSERVER
OF THE PALESTINE LIBERATION ORGANIZATION ADDRESSED TO THE
ASSISTANT SECRETARY-GENERAL OF THE CENTRE FOR HUMAN RIGHTS

During the past 10 months, the Palestinian inhabitants of the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip have endured violations of their fundamental human rights, in all fields of their daily life.

Indeed, the Israeli occupation authorities have continued their inhuman practices against the population of the Occupied Territories, in an escalation of violence and terror. They have been backed up by the civilian Israeli settlers, who have been perpetuating, with impunity, coward crimes against the Palestinian inhabitants of the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip.

Enclosed, please find a Memorandum on Israeli Practices Affecting the Human Rights of the Population of the Palestinian Occupied Territories from April 1983 to January 1984.

I, hereby, wish to request you to include this document as an official document of the fortieth session of the Commission on Human Rights, which will start its work on 6 February 1984, in Geneva.

(Signed): Nabil RAMLAWI

Permanent Observer for the 
Palestine Liberation Organization
to the United Nations Office at Geneva

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Attachment

MEMORANDUM DATED 23 JANUARY 1984 ON ISRAELI PRACTICES AFFECTING
THE HUMAN RIGHTS OF THE POPULATION OF THE ARAB OCCUPIED TERRITORIES

In March and April 1983, the female population of the occupied West Bank was victim of an escalation of terror perpetrated by the Israeli occupation authorities, which consisted in a large-scale gas intoxication campaign against, mainly, schoolgirls. The perpetrators of these crimes have remained unknown and unpunished, but the occupation authorities have imposed curfews on the villages and camps hit by the intoxication campaign, thus impeding rescue operations, and doubly penalizing the Palestinian population.

APRIL 1983

6 April 1983: The 35-year-old prisoner, Khalil Ibrahim Abu Khadija, who was detained in Ramallah prison, died under suspect conditions. He was arrested in 1969 and sentenced to 20'years imprisonment.

18 April 1983: Curfew was imposed on the old quarter of Nablus as well as on Ain Beit Alma refugee camp, following demonstrations of the population protesting against the creation of a new Israeli settlement.

22 April 1983: The Israeli occupation authorities ordered the confiscation of 400 dunums of land near Ramallah, belonging to 17 Palestinian families.

On the same day, local Palestinian leaders in the village of Al-Khodar near Bethlehem, were informed of an order to confiscate 1,000 dunums of the village's land, for the Zionist settlement of "Daniel". In the meantime, Israeli troops have been uprooting hundreds of olive trees at Hares near Tulkarem, to build a new settlement.

23 April, 1983: The Israeli occupation authorities detained 39 students from Al-Najah University; they were part of a group of 50 students on their way to Al-Khader village in Bethlehem area, to participate in voluntary work.

On the same day, 10,000 dunums of land of Surif village in Al-Khalil (Hebron) area were to be seized by the Israeli occupation authorities. The land was finally confiscated on 27 April 1983.

27 April 1983: The Israeli occupation forces launched a large wave of arrests in Al-Khalil (Hebron), Gaza, Ramallah, Jenin and Sulfit, mainly among school pupils and university students. A curfew was also imposed on Al-Azza refugee camp, in Al-Khalil area.

29 April 1983: Curfew was imposed on Halhoul and the Balata refugee camp.

On the same day, 1,000 dunums of land were confiscated from the village,of Beitunia, and 6,500 dunums from Sah'ir.

MAY 1983

3 May 1983: Israeli occupation troops shot and killed Ibrahim Ahmad A1-Aqra', 70, in Bidya, and wounded Ahmad Al-Aqra', 40, and Yusuf Muhammad Hamid Al-Aqra', 53. The three men had tried to prevent Israeli bulldozers working on Ibrahim Al-Aqra's land, which was part of 600 dunums which the Israeli authorities were trying to seize for settlement. After the crime, the village of Bidya (Tulkarem area) was put under curfew.

6 May 1983: For the second time, the Israeli occupation authorities renewed forced residence on the Palestinian journalist Nabhan Khuraishes, an editor of Jerusalem's Al Fajr, for six months, with order to report daily to Tulkarem police station. They also imposed forced residence on the student Muin Hassan Jaber, from Balata camp. Jaber was in his final year at Bethlehem University.

In Nablus, the occupation forces closed down King Talel secondary school and arrested 13 pupils.

In Beit-Fajjar, in Al-Khalil (Hebron) area, the occupation authorities destroyed the house of Ali Muhammad Nassar Tagatga on the pretext that he did not have a building permit. Part of his house had been, however, built before the Israeli occupation in June 1967.

On the same day, several actions of violence were perpetrated by Zionist settlers throughout the West Bank. The actions remained unpunished.

13 May 1983: Muhammad Zaidan Abu Qasmi, 25, died in the Beersheba prison as result of torture. He had been sentenced to life in prison two years ago, for participating it a military operation.

An explosive device placed by Israeli settlers went off near the house of the Mukhtar of Bidya.

The Israeli authorities detained five people, from Bidya after the incident in which Israeli soldiers killed a 70-year-old man who tried to resist seizure of his land.

17 May 1983: Following 15 May demonstrations, the Israeli authorities, closed down the Ramallah womens' teachers' training college, until the end of the academic year, on the ground that its students took part in demonstrations, raised the Palestinian flag and stoned occupation vehicles.

The occupation authorities also closed the Hashimiya school in Al-Bireh and Sair girls' preparatory school, as well as Sair boys' secondary school.

More than 150 dunums were seized from Al-Jaib village north-east of Jerusalem.

In Dora, near Al-Khalil (Hebron), the occupation authorities placed Abdul-Majid Al-Suwaiti and Ali Rajoub under house arrest for six months.

Occupation bulldozers destroyed two houses in Wadi Al-Hasin, in Al-Khalil area, on the pretext that they were too close to the settlement of Kiryat Arba.

In Rafah, the occupation authorities searched the house and pharmacy of Ziyad Shaath, and arrested him.

The occupation authorities also arrested Burhan Khalil from Kabatiya in the Jenin district, as well as Walid Mahmoud Abdel Fattah, son of the Mayor of Arraba.

Israeli bulldozers began constructing a road in the village of Housan in the Bethlehem district, as a prelude to the establishment of a net settlement to be called "Hadar Bitar".

18 May 1983: Early in the morning, Israeli border guards and police stormed the offices of the Palestinian newspaper Al Fair based in Jerusalem.  All issues of the paper were confiscated and it was banned from distribution in all the West Bank. No reason was given for this raid.

The Israeli occupation authorities confiscated 7,000 dunums of land from the village of Abousiyeh, near Jerusalem.

An Israeli military court sentenced four people from Balata camp to prison terms on charges of belonging to the Palestinian resistance: Riyadh Abdullah Al-Bishawi was sentenced to 6 years, lyad Shakir to 7 years, Muhammad Al-Araisha to 2½ years and Muhammad Huwaiti to 10 months.

The same court also sentenced a student from Bir Zeit University, Jamal Al-Salgan, to six months imprisonment and a 10,000-shekel fine, on a charge of inciting people to demonstrate.

The occupation authorities imposed a year's forced residence on Payiz Fosfous, from Bethlehem University, forbidding him to leave his home village of Dora.

An Israeli military court in Al-Khalil (Hebron) gave a suspended sentence of three years' imprisonment to Abdul Hadi Al-Khatib and fined him 10,000 shekels on a charge of not complying with a forced residence order.

JUNE 1983

14 June 1983: The Israeli occupation authorities closed off the last remaining entrance to the Dheisheh refugee camp near Bethlehem. All other entrances were closed off two years ago.

Israeli troops stormed local branches of the Palestinian Committees for Social Work. "The committees perform voluntary and charitable services in local West Bank communities. Dozens of committee members were held in the Faria prison near Nablus.

Palestinian inhabitants of Askar, Balata and Ein Elm camps were prevented by the Israeli occupation authorities from leaving the area for the past six weeks. Students from these camps were prevented from attending classes at West Bank universities.

The Israeli authorities issued a house-arrest order for Hamdi Farraj from Dheisheh camp. Farraj is an editor of the Palestinian Jerusalem weekly Al-Shira.

Six Palestinian youths from Nablus were sentenced on 13 Israeli military court for allegedly writing anti-occupation raising Palestinian flags. The sentences ranged from one to five years' imprisonment.

18 June 1983: The Israeli occupation authorities issued a military order for confiscation of 5,000 dunums of land belonging to the village (Jenin district), for military reasons.

Zionist gangs protected by Israeli troops initiated a wave of arson attacks against Palestinian property in the West Bank and Jerusalem. The Palestinian owned, restaurant "Philadelphia" was set on fire. A large fire was set at Wadi Bazan in the Nablus area. Grounds surrounding a water project owned by the Nablus municipality were set ablaze. Hundreds of trees, 20 water pumps and electricity supply lines all went up in flames. Same attacks were carried out in Toubas area.

29 June 1983: The Israeli occupation authorities sealed six Palestinian homes in the village of Arraba near Jenin, claiming that relatives of the owners had allegedly thrown Molotov cocktails at Israeli settlers.

JULY 1983

5 Ju1y_1983: The Israeli occupation authorities issued orders for confiscation of 5,000 dunums of Palestinian land from the villages of Kobar and Belt Illo, in the Ramallah district.

7 July 1983: Zionist settlers went on a rampage through Al-Khalil (Hebron) opening fire on Palestinian inhabitants. One person was killed and two others wounded. Curfew was imposed. The Israeli Minister of Justice stated that no one could prevent the settlers' gangs from entering Al-Khalil.

8 July 1981: The head of the Israeli army command in the West Bank ordered the dismissal of acting Mayor of Al-Khalil, Dr. Natsche. All the members of Al-Khalil municipality council were dismissed as well. An Israeli military officer was appointed Mayor of Al-Khalil.

14 July 1983: Curfew was imposed on the, center of the city of Nablus.

An Israeli military court in Lydda sentenced Haidar Ahmad Abu Shaikh of Faza to 25 years' imprisonment, on a charge of belonging to Fateh and carrying out guerrilla operations against the occupation.

In Jenin, a military court sentenced Jamal Jawad Saqallah to six months' imprisonment on a charge of throwing stones at occupation military vehicles.

18 July 1983: The Israeli authorities revealed a plan which aims at expelling thousands of Palestinians from the West Bank refugee camps, and, ghettoizing them in part of the Jordan valley, this plan is a part of a comprehensive scheme "to solve the refugee problem". Israeli Minister Mordechai Ben Porat has drawn up a detailed study on this, and Israeli engineers began planning a town in the Jordan valley, 32 kilometres south-east of Nablus, where Palestinians are to be confined after having been expelled from the West Bank camps.

26 July 1983: Armed Zionist settlers at noon entered Al-Khalil (Hebron) University campus and opening fire on students. Three students were killed and 40 others wounded. The three students shot dead were: Saadeddin Hassan Sabri Nazzal from Qalqiliya, Jamal Asaad Nasser Nazzal also from Qalqi1iya, and a youth called Samih.

On the same day, during demonstrations in Nablus, Israeli soldiers shot dead a 20-year-old girl, Ilham Abou Za'rour, who was to get married on 27 July 1983.

During the night, Kiryat Arba settlers destroyed the house of Abdul Hafiz Ibrahim Abdul Haq Al-Jaabari.

28 July 1983: After the murders of Al-Khalil University, demonstrations took place throughout the West Bank. Israeli troops attacked the demonstrators and 12 students of Bir Zeit University were injured. The occupation forces forbade ambulances from transporting the wounded to hospital.

Curfew was imposed on Al-Khalil, Halhoul and the Balata camp.

In Nablus, the occupation authorities blockaded the city and out telephone lines. They also jammed radio and television broadcasts, in an attempt to isolate the city.

The director of the Nablus Rafidia hospital, Dr. Jihad Ounalla, was arrested by the occupation authorities for treating Palestinians wounded in the demonstrations. He was order not to treat any injured demonstrator without first obtaining written permission from the military government.

In Qualqiliya, the occupation authorities forced the relatives of the three killed Palestinians in Al-Khalil to bury their loved ones at 2 a.m. and under heavy guard.

29 July 1983: Curfew was imposed on Qalailiya; curfew also went on in Al-Khalil, Nablus and the Balata camp.

Zionist settlers opened fire in the village of Belt Safafa, injuring a man and a woman.

30 July 1983: A delegation representing West Bank and Gaza Strip trade unions, led by Secretary-General of the West Bank trade unions federation, Shehadeh Al-Minawi, tried to pay a visit-of condolences to the families of the murder victims but the occupation authorities prevented the delegation from entering Qalqiliya because of the curfew imposed.

AUGUST 1983

1 August 1983: A group of Zionist settlers threw an incendiary bomb at the offices of the Jerusalem daily Al Fair.

Zionist settlers established a new settlement on a hill on the main road Jerusalem-Jericho, named "Adam".

2 August 1983: Since dawn, the Israeli-occupation authorities imposed a curfew on Anabta and neighbouring villages, while curfew on Qalqiliya still went on.

5 August 1983: The Israeli occupation authorities closed the main entrances to Jalazoun refugee camp. The Israeli army and border guards carried out raids on houses, arresting people and taking them to the military governor's office in Ramallah.

8 August 1983: The Israeli occupation authorities extended the forced residence on elected Mayor of Qalqiliya, Haj Amin Al-Nasr, who had been dismissed last year. He was forbidden to leave the town and had to report daily to the police.

11 August 1983: The body of Ahmad Abdul Qadir Salman, 22, from Surif in Al-Khalil (Hebron) district, was found with several bullet and stab wounds. Several such attacks were carried out by Zionist settlers during this period.

12 August 1983: Israeli bulldozers destroyed the house of Musa Abu Hasira and damaged his lO-dumun orange grove in Al-Ajami area of Jaffa, which inhabitants the Israeli authorities want to drive out so as to establish a Zionist settlement. Israeli troops supervised the demolition and threatened to kill Abu Hasira if he tried to prevent them.

15 August 1983: The occupation authorities deported Selim Hamed Fatayir from Qabalan village, Nablus area, to Jordan. The reasons for this action were not given.

Palestinian detainees in Israeli prisons declared a one-day hunger strike in protest of the harsh treatment of women detainees in Neve Tertsa prison, and in solidarity with them. The strike affected Ramleh, Beersheba, Jenin, Nablus, Tulkarem, Al-Khalil, Gaza, Shatta, Bait Lyd, Nafha and Asqalan prisons. Inhuman and repressive treatment of women in Neve Tertsa includes the occupation authorities denial of medical treatment to them, resulting in the deterioration of the health of some of the women.

23 August 1983: The Israeli occupation authorities raided the Islamic University in Gaza and confiscated 350 magazines and a number of books, pictures and Palestinian flags which were to be displayed in an exhibition at the University. The Israeli police arrested three people from Rafah suspected of organizing the exhibition.

SEPTEMBER 1983

3 September 1983: The Israeli occupation authorities arrested lawyers Nasser Masoud Al-Shinnar from Tulkarem, as he was returning from Amman across the bridge. He was held in Fara'a prison, without reason being announced.

The occupation arrested Nimr Abu Liya, Othman Al-Dessouki and Muhammad Bal'awi from Jenin and its nearby refugee camp, as well as Hashim Izzat Abu Latifa, 20, and Naaser Yusuf Abu Jaish, 20, from Bait Dajan, in Nablus district.

The occupation authorities stopped Fathi Ahmad Salih from working as a teacher in the Noubani Farms school, without giving any reason.

6 September 1983: The ministerial committee for Zionist settlements decided to set up two new settlements in the occupied West Bank: "Antel", south of Al-Khalil, and "Ganim B" near Jenin.

9 September 1983: The occupation authorities seized 1,500 dunums of land from Safa village (Ramallah district) from which another 2,000 dunums had been seized earlier in the year. The occupation build roads and excavate on the land seized, In preparation for a settlement.

12 September 1983: In a letter smuggled out of Ramleh prison, the Palestinian detainee Abdul Rahim Abdul Fattah Iraqi, 50, from Al-Bireh said he was suffering from kidney and joint ailments, occasional internal haemorrhage and swelling in his body. He had asked the prison administration for treatment, but was continually refused on the pretext that he did not have these illnesses. Prison authorities had refused permission for a private doctor to treat him. Iraqi has been in prison since 1968 on charges of belonging to Fateh.

14 September 1983: Israeli soldiers rounded up 25 Palestinian youths from Al-Aroub camp near Al-Khalil (Hebron). Five were taken from their homes In the middle of the night, the others were picked up one by one or in groups during the day.

15 September 1983: Jericho lawyer Jamil Nasser and Anabta Mayor Wahid Al-Hamdullah have both received new restriction of movement orders for another six months.

22 September 1983: Israeli occupation forces demolished the Kaa Al-Kroum mosque in the Gaza town of Khan Younis. The Israeli military governor himself supervised the demolition.

27 September 1983: Nablus and the Balata refugee camp were imposed curfew.

28 September 1983: The Israeli forces intercepted the two ships M/V Cordelia and M/V Hanan on their way from Cyprus to Tripoli, and captured 37 persons.

29 September 1983: An Israeli military court in Ramallah sentenced Jaber Abudl Khalek to 11 years imprisonment for being a member of Fateh.

Niyaz Khaled was sentenced by a military court in Nablus to two years' imprisonment for membership of Fateh. Another court in Nablus sentenced Ibrahim Ali Aibeydat to two and a half years' imprisonment for membership of the Revolution.

Curfew was imposed on Jalazoun refugee camp near Ramallah.

30 September 1983: The Israeli occupation authorities placed two doctors from Rafah (Gaza Strip) under house arrest during the night hours, for six months, and they were required to report to the police every day at 4 p.m. In effect, the order prevents the doctors from continuing their medical work, since both work in a Jerusalem hospital.

OCTOBER 1983

3 October 1983: An appeal has been made for the release from the Israeli prison, of Abdullah Aiyash, 27. He has been held for four years without trial and he was paralysed. His family asked for his release due to the fact that his life was in danger.

4 October 1983: A military court in Gaza sentenced two Palestinians to prison terms fox being members of the Resistance: Sami Abu Hamad to one and a half years and Tank Abu Hamad to nine months.

Youssef Mustafa Alshabani, a local Palestinian from Jerusalem, was stabbed death by an Israeli while on his way home from work.

7 October 1983: The Israeli occupation authorities confiscated 250 dununs of land in the town of Belt Sahour to build a new settlement.

12 October 1983: The Israeli lawyer Lee Absaleem sent letters to complain to the Israeli Prime Minister, the Israeli Supreme Court and to human rights organizations, concerning Shamma Hasan Awawdeh, a Palestinian woman from the village of Dora, Hebron area, who was subjected to inhuman treatment by the Israeli intelligence. Shama was summoned up to the Israeli military governor in Hebron and was interrogated regarding her husband's friends. Her husband was arrested two months ago. The lawyer and Shammy claimed that she was tortured.

13 October 1983: The Israeli occupation authorities arrested Nayef Sweitat, President of the student council of Bir Zeit University, after demonstrations.

The Israeli authorities imposed a curfew on Abu Qash village, Ramallah district, for one week. A major search campaign was conducted by the Israelis in the village.

19 October 1983: Israeli lawyer Felicia Langer sent a letter to the Israeli judicial advisor of the West Bank, protesting the torture exercised against the Palestinian prisoners in Al-Fare'a military prison. Mrs. Longer referred to a prisoner called Hatem Ahmad Nawara, from Qalqiliya, who complained that a warder forced him and some other comrades to "dive" in the prison's sewerage system and clean it up. Later, they had to wash up with cold water.  Hatem was put in a solitary confinement cell until next morning. He was forced to do hard labour, but he refused. The warder then tied Hatem up with chains and tortured him. Mrs. Langer stated in her letter that torture was a daily routine in Al-Fare'a prison.

20 October 1983: Mrs. Samiha Khalil, President of the Family's Relief Society in El-Bireh, sent a plea to all mothers in the world asking them to support her in her struggle against the Israeli occupation authorities who refused to allow her to see her children who live outside the occupied territories. Mrs. Khalil was not allowed to leave the country and her five children were refused entry visas to go to see her.

24 October 1983: The Israeli occupation authorities started erecting a new settlement called "Ofrim" in Nablus area. The settlement is reported to contain houses for 1,200 families.

Mr. Bassam Shakaa, Mayor of Nablus, was expelled from the municipality building and the Israeli forces occupied the building, which contains a library of 48,000 books and some other artistic works.

29 October 1983: Curfew was imposed on Dheisheh camp near Bethlehem. Curfew was also imposed on Jalazoun, Askar and Balata camps.

NOVEMBER 1983

1 November 1983: The Israeli military court in Ramallah sentenced Shadi Darwish, 16, to two and a half years' imprisonment. He was accused of throwing a Molotov cocktail bomb against an Israeli bus last April.

In Nablus, a military court sentenced Faisal Abu Sweiss, from Jenin refugee camp, to four and a half years' imprisonment. Faisal was accused of throwing an incendiary bomb at an Israeli military patrol.

Two other Palestinians were sentenced to two years' imprisonment after being accused of participation, with Faisal, in the attack against the Israeli patrol.

The same court sentenced a student in Najah University of Nablus to six months' imprisonment and a fine of 20,000 shekels because she raised the Palestinian flag on the top of the University building.

In Balata camp, the Israeli forces ordered all the Palestinians in the camp, between 15 and 60 years old, to gather in the school's yard and stay there all night, as a collective punishment after demonstrations of support to the PLO. Curfew was imposed on the camp.

2 November 1983: The Israeli military coordinator of the West Bank, General Benjamin Eliazar, ordered the closure of the University of Bethlehem for two months, after demonstrations.

Two schools sponsored by UNRWA in Qalandia and Arroub were also closed down.

Curfew was imposed. on Dheisheh, Aida and Azza refugee camps, in Bethlehem district.

3 November 1983: Mr. Bassam Shakaa, elected Mayor of Nablus, was prevented from going to Jerusalem to meet Mr. Louis Richard, British Minister for Foreign Affairs, despite a British formal demand presented to the Israeli authorities, Mr. Shakaa was subject to house arrest.

Israeli settlers burnt more than 1,000 olive trees in Tell village, near Nablus, by throwing incendiary bombs on them. The settlers did not allow the fire brigade cars get near the fire and put it out.

The Israeli occupation authorities confiscated 4,000 dunums of land In Yanoun village, Nablus area.

4 November 1983: In the night, the Israeli forces raided a house in Ramallah and arrested the dwellers who were all students at Bir Zait University. The Israelis confiscated several books from the house. The students were summoned to the Israeli military governor's headquarters for interrogation.

On the same day, in South Lebanon, the Israeli authorities committed a barbaric crime against six prisoners in Ansar camp: the six prisoners were burried alive, according to an Israeli spokesman.

10 November 1983: Curfew was imposed on Aida refugee camp near Bethlehem.

A curfew was also imposed on the old city of Nablus. More than 250 civilians were arrested, among them, 40 children under the age of six.

12 November 1983: The Israeli occupation forces killed three students and wounded two others during demonstrations organized by the students of the technical school in Tulkarem. One of the victims was Ahmed Bishara.

A curfew was imposed on Tulkarem refugee camp.

Some of the refugees of Jalazoun refugee camp, which was under curfew, were obliged to sleep outside their homes, after being refused to enter the camp. Some of them were shot at on their way home at night.

In Dheisheh refugee camp (Bethlehem), lack of medical and food supplies became important, due to the closure of the main entrances of the camp and its surrounding by the Israeli army.

In Bir Zeit, the Israeli occupation authorities detained, since 10 November 1983, the vice-president of the Bir Zeit University, Dr. Gabi Baramki, accusing him of forgery of the document which the military governor asked the foreign teachers to sign, declaring the PLO as a hostile organization, which the teachers refused to do. The Israeli authorities alleged that Dr. Baramki removed one of the items of the mentioned document.

15 November 1983: Jewish settlers attacked Palestinian civilians in Nablus and opened fire on them. The shooting caused the destruction of 20 commercial window-shops and 13 cars.

16 November 1983: Al-Aroub refugee camp (near Hebron) was stormed by settlers who opened fire with automatic machine-guns. Some children were kidnapped.

17 November 1983: Curfew was still imposed on Dheisheh refugee camp, despite severe shortage of food supplies. Tens of Palestinians were sent to Farea's military prison near Nablus.

Since 16 November 1983, a curfew was imposed on Balata refugee camp (near Nablus), after demonstrations during which the Israeli settlers opened fire on the demonstrators.

Nablus' military governor ordered the closure of Qadri Tougan high school until further notice. Jewish settlers had raided the school on 16 November 1983, opening fire on the students. The Israeli forces arrested 30 students accusing them of demonstrating and stoning military vehicles.

19 November 1983: Israeli occupation forces closed all entrances leading to A1-Najah University in Nablus, preventing the University staff, faculty and students from entering the campus. Similar measures were applied around Nablus high schools of Ma'zouz Al-Masri, KaMal Joumblat and Jamal Abdel Nasser, after demonstrations of students.

20 November 1983: The Israeli settlers and the Israeli occupation forces raided the schools of Ma'zouz Al-Masri and Jamal Abdel Nasser in Nablus, in order to disperse pro PLO demonstrations. More than 93 Palestinians were arrested in Nablus.

Curfew was imposed on Ya'bad village, in Jenin district, after demonstrations.

23-24 November 1983: After several months of negotiations through the International Committee of the Red Cross regarding the release of all prisoners detained by the Israelis in Southern Lebanon as well as another 100 people detained in Israel itself, and while the PLO had agreed to release the Israeli prisoners of war, the Israeli authorities took some of the Palestinian released prisoners from the buses driving them to the waiting aircrafts. Indeed, according to a press release issued by ICRC in Geneva, some prisoners who had been duly registered on leaving Ansar camp, were taken from buses without the knowledge of ICRC as they were being driven to the airport. Thus, the Israeli authorities violated the agreement signed by both parties, through ICRC.

25 November 1983: In A1-Khalil (Hebron), the Israeli occupation authorities imposed a, six-months house arrest on Ibrahim Hamzeh, member of Hebron University students' council.

28 November 1983: Curfew was imposed on the old city of Nablus as well as on Askar refugee camps and the villages of Azmout, Salem and Deir Al-Hatab.

The Israeli occupation authorities started excavations on lands at the villages of Jneid and Beit-Wazan, belonging to the properties of the Najah University. The land is planted with olive trees. The Israeli authorities alleged that they were constructing a water pipeline to supply a building in the area. The fact is, however, that the authorities plan to transform this building into a prison.

23 November 1983: 35 Palestinians from Jabalia, refugee camp in Gaza Strip were arrested.

DECEMBER 1983

2 December 1983: Israeli settlers killed a young Palestinian (35), from Attil village, in Tulkarem district. His body was found horribly mutilated, with head and hands out off.

Two Palestinians were injured, at night, during an assault by the Israeli settlers against Ibrat Abraham's school in East Jerusalem. The two victims were Yehya Nou'man Zaytoun and his father (54).

2 December 1983: Repressive measures continued against Al Najah University as well as against secondary schools in the region of Nablus. The places were raided and many students were arrested.

5 December 1983: The Israeli security forces stormed the Jerusalem chamber of commerce. They arrested Shehade Al-Minawi, Secretary-General of the West Bank Trade Unions.

For three weeks, Israeli forces and Zionist settlers have been besieging the Jalazoun refugee camp, shooting at and stoning the houses of the camp.

6 December 1983: The Israeli occupation forces prevented the deposed Mayor of Nablus, Mr. Bassam Shakaa, from travelling to Jerusalem to attend the funeral of Dr. Khalil Al-Boudayri. The occupation forces stated that the house arrest of Mr. Shakaa was a permanent one.

9 December 1983: In Nablus, the Israeli occupation authorities issued an order forbidding Friday's prayer in all the city's mosques, to prevent Palestinians from organizing demonstrations to protest the ugly crime committed on 8 December 1983 by the Israeli settlers who had killed a young girl, Aisha Adnan Al-Bahsh, and wounded her sister in Nablus. Meantime, the Israeli settlers continued to perpetrate violence acts against Palestinian civilians, with impunity.

12 December 1983: Grenades of the Israeli army exploded or were found in different places in Jericho and Bethlehem. In Jericho, an explosion of such a grenade killed two boys aged 13 and 14. The grenades were put by Zionist settlers.

In Al-Khalil (Hebron), three Palestinian houses were demolished.

13 December 1983: In Nablus area, Mahmoud Deeh Dabbak, 38, was shot dead by Israeli soldiers while he was ploughing his land. He was from the village of Tayasseer.

22 December 1983: In Bir Zeit, the Israeli forces set up road-blocks on the entrances of Bir Zeit University, preventing its students and University staff from entering the campus. This measure is a rather daily one, since one month.

In Al-Khalil (Hebron), the Israeli military governor threatened foreign instructors of Hebron University with deportation, because they had not signed the document in which the occupation authorities consider the PLO as a terrorist organization.

28 December 1983: The Palestinian detainees in A1-Fare'a military prison continued their hunger strike, started more than one week before, to protest their ill-treatment. Some released prisoners have stated that the prison authorities had reduced the amount of food offered to the prisoners, who already suffered from ill-nourishment.

Prisoners of Al-Majdal prison in Ashqelon, and in Neve Tertsa prison are also suffering from ill-treatment.

The Israeli occupation authorities imposed house arrests for six months against the vice-President of the bar association in Gaza, Khaled Al-Kadra, the consultant of the Arabic Electricity Company of Jerusalem, Abed Abu Diab, and a member of the administrative committee of public institutions' trade union in the village of Abu Deis, Amal Wahdan.

The Israeli occupation forces stormed Ibn Khaldoun bookshop in the town of Jenin. They searched the bookshop and arrested its owner, Qadouri Mousa, who is the reporter-journalist of Al Fajr newspaper.

Mohamed Noufal, an instructor at the Islamic University of Gaza, received a military order prohibiting him from exercising his academic activities for six months. No reason was given for this action.

JANUARY 1984

2 January 1984: A Palestinian, Rida Hashem Zeid Al-Keelani, 23, from Nablus, died after he had been wounded in the night while driving his car on the Nablus-Ramallah road. Armed Israelis wearing military uniforms had stopped his car and shot him.

3 January 1984: Israeli military authorities closed down the women educational training Institute in Ramallah, till further notice. The authorities alleged that this was in reaction to students' demonstration and stoning Israeli military cars. The new secondary school of El-Bireh was also closed down.

Israeli settlers, started paving roads east of Nablus to enlarge the Israeli settlement of Elon Moreh.

4 January 1984: Israeli settlers raided and searched the house of Ibrahim Qara'een from Silwan, Jerusalem area. Qara'een is the editor-in-chief of Al-Awdeh magazine.

5 January 1984: In Nablus, an Israeli military court sentenced Nidal Abu Lawi to two and a half years' imprisonment. He was accused of being a member of Fatah. Abu Lawi is a university student at Al-Yarmouk University in Jordan.

6 January 1984: In Bethlehem, Israeli bulldozers were ploughing the grounds of Housan, Wadi Foukin and Nahhalin villages in order to build an Israeli settlement. The bulldozers have uprooted large numbers of olive trees and grapes, and ruined several streams used by Palestinian farmers for irrigation.

In Gaza, a Palestinian, Suleiman Abu Rashed, 25, was severely wounded when the Israeli occupation forces opened fire on him alleging that he carried a forged identity card.

8 January 1984: Israeli settlers set on fire the Sa'ad Eddin Mosque in Nablus, destroying most of its contents and causing great damage. As per eyewitnesses, the settlers were wearing military uniforms.

During the night, Israeli settlers destroyed 15 Palestinian owned cars in Ramallah. Later on, the armed settlers attacked a group of Palestinians and wounded one of them.

9 January 1984: The Israeli occupation authorities imposed house arrest for six months against Mohammed Ali, advocate Ghassan Shaka'a, Mohammed Kamel, all from Nablus, and Wasim Al-Kurdi from Ramallah.

10 January 1984: The municipalities of Qalqiliya and Tulkarem as well as the trade unions of these two towns denounced the detention of the elected Mayor of Anabta, Waheed Al-Hamdallah, by the Israeli authorities, demanding his release. Mr. Al-Hamdullah was detained a week before, with a charge of having offered help to those who killed a collaborator with the Israeli occupation. Mayor Al-Hamdullah, who suffers from heart trouble said that the Israeli authorities bore the responsibility had his health deteriorated.

Israeli occupation authorities renewed for another six months, starting from 8 January 1984, the house arrest imposed on Dr. Azmi Shu'eibi, a member of El-Bireh municipality council.

11 January 1984: In Jenin, the Israeli forces set up road-blocks at the entrances of the city. The forces detained the inhabitants to interrogate them. The Palestinian Sarri Tawfiq was arrested four days before, and till this day, no one knew where he was.

A military court in Ramallah sentenced six Palestinians from Hebron, accusing them of resisting the aggressions of the Israeli settlers of Kiryat Arba. The same court sentenced two brothers, Tawfiq and Rafiq Daoud, from Jalazoun refugee camp, to four years' and one year's imprisonment  respectively.

The Israeli occupation authorities demolished three Palestinian owned houses in Al-Khalil (Hebron) without giving any reasons.

12 January 1984:. In Nablus, the archaeology department, affiliated to the Zionist military governorship of the city, ordered the inhabitants of Jerzim, southern mountain to leave their houses within a few days, claiming that the department will undertake an excavation for Roman ruins. According to this plan, several houses in the area will have to be demolished.

In Ramallah the Israeli military court sentenced seven Palestinians to imprisonment ranging between one and four years, and fines between 6,000 and 10,000 shekels. They were accused of Violating the curfews imposed on Ramallah and its refugee camps.

The Israeli settlers have formed armed patrols and groups, especially in Al-Khalil (Hebron) and Jerusalem, in the context of their terror campaign against the Palestinians in the occupied territories.

In Tarkoumia and El-Bireh, Israeli armed settlers stormed several houses and destroyed a large number of Palestinian owned cars.

14 January 1984: The Israeli occupation forces. confiscated 5,000 dunums of Palestinian owned fertile land in Housan village, Bethlehem district, to set up a new settlement.

The Israeli military court in Ramallah sentenced a Palestinian called Karram Saleh Khalil to three years' imprisonment and a fine of 50,000 shekels. Khalil was accused of attacking an Israeli soldier several months ago, in Ramallah.

Israeli occupation forces stormed Bethlehem University and arrested a number of students and six Palestinian theatricians who were rehearsing to present a play at the University's theatre.

16 January 1984: An Israeli military court in Nablus sentenced Nayef Sweitat, the ex-president of the student council of Bir Zeit University, to nine months imprisonment.

In Jericho, the occupiers raided the city's youth club confiscating books and posters. The club was closed down until further notice.

The Israeli authorities are exerting pressure on the Palestinian farmers in north West Bank. They prevented 17 farmers in Jenin area froze cultivating potatoes. This came in order to help Israeli settlers marketing their crops and compelling Palestinian farmers to leave their land.

The Israeli authorities threatened to demolish houses in the refugee camp of Khan Youni to implement the resettlement scheme of Ben Porat. The Military governorate called on representatives of 1,000 families living at block W of the camp and told them to leave their homes before March.

19 January 1984: The Israeli occupation authorities have recently confiscated 1,300 dunums of land in 'Obween village, Ramallah district, to build an Israeli settlement.

An Israeli military court sentenced six Palestinians from 'Ayda refugee camp, near Bethlehem, to imprisonment ranging between five and nine years. They were accused of hurling incendiary bombs on Israeli military vehicles.

The Israeli military court in Nablus sentenced five Palestinians to imprisonment ranging between 2 and 12 months. They were accused of organizing a cultural exhibition in Nablus two months ago.

(Signed) Nabil RAMLAWI

Permanent Observer for the

Palestine Liberation Organization
to the United Nations

Office at Geneva

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