P.O. Box 38712 East Jerusalem
Phone: (972) 2 – 5829962 / 5825853, Fax: (972) 2 – 5825841
OCHA Weekly Briefing Notes
Update for oPt (24 – 30 December 2003)
INSIDEINSIDE: Casualties — Incidents involving ambulances — Curfew — House demolition — Land levelling/confiscation — Checkpoints/roadblocks/Separation Wall/restrictions on movement — Access to Schools — Labour movement to Israel — Other incidents
Palestinians: 11 deaths, 128 injured
Israelis: 4 deaths, 25 injured (approximately)
Internationals: 1 injured
2. Incidents involving ambulances and medical teams
Denial of access: 5 incidents
Delay (40 min – 7 hrs.): 8 incidents
Curfews were reported in the following locations: Balata refugee camp and Beit Furik (3 days), Nablus, Nablus Old City, and Jaba (2 days), Jammain, Kaf ad Dik, Kafr Malik and Hebron H2 (1 day), Deir Ghassana and Beit Rima (few hours).
4. House demolitions/Demolition Orders
Demolished: 7 houses and 1 2-storey house
Partially demolished: 1 4-storey house
• 29 December: IDF handed over demolition orders for 6 houses in Al Burj village.
5. Land levelling/confiscation
• 24 December: IDF confiscated 300 dunums (74 acres) in Nabi Salih (Ramallah governorate) for the expansion of Halamish settlement.
• 24 December: Hebron, IDF bulldozed 30 dunums (7.413 acres) in Bani Salim northwest of Kharsina settlement. In addition 50 dunums (12.355 acres) north of Kiryat Arba settlement.
• 29 December: Hebron, IDF bulldozed land in Wadi an Nasara near Kharsina settlement.
• Since 21 December ongoing land levelling near Gilo checkpoint. So far it’s not clear whether the area levelled is for the wall path or for the construction of a commercial back-to-back system.
• Over the past week, bulldozers started uprooting olive trees covering an area of approximately 200 dunums (49.42 acres) between the “Green Line” and the Wall belonging to the villagers of Akkaba. No confiscation orders were handed to the villagers.
6. Checkpoints/roadblocks/Separation Wall/restrictions on movement
– Tulkarm/Qalqiliya governorates:
• Flying checkpoints were erected in various places during the period 24-28 December closing all entrances to Tulkarm following the bus-stop bomb in Tel Aviv on 25 December. Access was only allowed for teachers, students and medical staff. Qalqilya district however remained open during the reporting week.
• Trucks bringing supplies through Baqa Ash Sharqiya gate continue to encounter delays, as the truck drivers are demanded to unload the trucks for checks.
• 25 December: Following the military order that was signed on 11 December by General Moshe Kaplinsky, a huge sign has been erected in front of Kafriat checkpoint informing Israeli citizens that they are no longer allowed to cross the checkpoint into Tulkarm governorate for “security reasons”. The restriction also applies to Taybeh checkpoint through which only specific groups (officials and medical staff) are allowed with prior co-ordination with the Israeli DCL. The number of Palestinians residing in Israel who enter Tulkarem for shopping dropped over the past couple of weeks with an average of 50-60 per day against 200-300 per day before the Intifada.
• Last week, it was reported on a new observed trend in Tulkarem district where teachers, medical staff and suppliers were occasionally requested green permits when crossing the various Wall gates. Tulkarm DCL office confirmed that these groups of people are not required to obtain green permits and there are no plans to introduce this procedure.
• As reported previously, the following agricultural gates remained closed during the week: Qalqilya south, Zeita south, Attil, Salman, Isla, Jayyous south and Izbat Jalud.
• Construction of the Wall between Zeita and Qaffin through Nazlat Issa is in the final stages of completion.
– Nablus/Jenin/Tubas governorates:
• Flying check points were erected at the junction between Qabatiya, Jenin and Birqin during the week. Starting from 25 December almost all the check points at the entrances of Jenin city were manned.
• 25 December: A new gate was installed at the entrance of Bardala village east of Tubas.
• 26 December: A huge earth mound was placed at the Governor’s compound (Muqata’a) dividing Nablus city into two. A checkpoint was erected at the Amman Road.
• 26 December: New earth mounds were placed at the entrances of Beit Furik and Beit Dajjan villages east of Nablus. All roads including dirt tracks to the villages are closed.
• 26 December: UNRWA mobile health clinic was unable to reach Nassariya due to a long delay at a flying checkpoint at Jit Junction.
• 27-30 December: The majority of check points in the Governorate of Nablus were closed for Palestinians.
• 29 December: 7 UNRWA vehicles with 13 staff members including a mobile health team were delayed at Huwwara checkpoint for more than one hour and a half. Also an UNRWA mini-bus with 23 staff members was delayed for two hours at Hamra checkpoint.
Jerusalem/Jericho governorates:
• Ongoing construction of the Wall in different sections in Khallet a Nu’man southern of Jerusalem, Ash Sheikh Sa’ad and Sur Bahir.
• The construction in al Eizariya wall is rapid, where 9-meter concrete blocks are being installed to finalise the remaining section of the passage from al Eizariya to the Mound of Olives.
• 9-meter concrete block are compiled near Abu Dis junction.
• The construction of 1.5 Km of barbed-wire fence near to Al Quds University in Abu Dis is in progress.
• Preparations for the Wall construction opposite Az Za’ayem checkpoint started.
Bethlehem/Hebron governorates:
• Movement was eased during the period 19-25 December in conjunction with the Christmas holiday. However, following the Tel Aviv incident on 25 December, a total closure was imposed and flying checkpoints were seen in various areas. In Bethlehem 1077 special permits were issued for Christian Palestinians to visit their relatives and these permits are still valid.
• 28 December: Only 9 permits were renewed for the busses of Hebron National Bus Company, which provides transportation between Hebron and Bethlehem.
• 30 December: IDF erected a wire fence on the western side of Gilo checkpoint.
• Al Seafa: Movement remains restricted by the IDF with the entry-exit gate opening twice daily for Seafa ID holders from 07.00 to 09.00 and 14.30 to 17.00. Motor vehicles are not allowed to enter, with the exception of international agencies that have undertaken prior coordination with the IDF. On 26 and 30 December IDF closed the gate completely.
• Al Mawasi: IDF-imposed restrictions remain, with no passage possible for male Mawasi ID holders aged 15-23 without prior coordination. Youths aged below 15 must be accompanied by a guardian. Motor vehicles are not allowed to enter, with the exception of international agencies that have undertaken prior coordination with the IDF. On 23 December the IDF closed Tel Es-Sultan checkpoint and re-opened it again on 29 December for Al Mawassi residents only.
• 24 December: Three schools were closed in Hebron due to the imposed curfew in H2 area.
• The opening hours of the gate between Ras Atiya and Ras Tira continue to create problems for the school children on their way back to Ras Tira from their classes in Ras Atiya (17 pupils) and Habla (13 pupils).
• In the village of Jbara, the opening hours in the afternoon continue to cause problems for mainly the elementary school children. On 28 December, teachers from Jbara who work in Tulkarm were not allowed to return to Jbara village after school hours, and as a result they were forced to stay overnight in Tulkarm.
• 27 December: IDF forced students in Nablus to leave their schools.
• 29 December: IDF entered one school in Tulkarm and conducted a search campaign during class hours. No incidents were reported.
• UNRWA reported continuous disruption in teachers’ access to schools in different districts due to closure, curfew and lack of permits.
8. Labour movement to Israel
• All work, travel and trade permits were suspended in the Tulkarm/Qalqiliya districts following the Tel Aviv incident on 25 December.
• All work, and trade permits were suspended in Bethlehem/Hebron districts. Travel permits are still valid for Palestinian private vehicles.
• The number of permits for the workers inside Israel has decreased as the permits of the people aged between 28 and 35 were cancelled. Permits to enter Israel have now been issued to 11,300 Palestinian agricultural and construction labourers and 1,877 merchants.
• 25 December: Five Palestinians including 2 Islamic Jihad activists and 3 by passers were killed when 2 Israeli helicopters fired several missiles towards a car in Gaza.
• 30 December: An IAF helicopter fired two missiles at a vehicle in Gaza city neighborhood of Al Shaihk Radwa in which Israel confirmed that it was an assassination attempt against alleged Hamas activists. Eleven people were injured, nine of them were bystanders.
• 45 mortars, 32 home made rockets and 1 anti tanks missile have been fired towards the Israeli settlements and northern towns of Negev, Sederot, Neve Dekalim, Dugit, Netzarim, and Gadid. No injuries were reported.
Nablus/Jenin/Tubas governorates
• The military operation that started in Balata camp on 16 December ended on 24 December. Daily incursions into Nablus city took place between 26-29 December. Clashes, arrests and house searches intensified on 30 December as all of Nablus City was under curfew. The internal closures inside Nablus city that had been reenforced since 23 December continued causing traffic chaos interrupting the daily life in the city. The villages of Beit Dajjan and Beit Furik were totally sealed off by new closures at all entrances.
• Incursions and arrest campaigns continued in Jenin governorate. Strict closure was imposed on the city 25 December.
Tulkare/Qalqiliya governorates
• Continuous military operations and arrest campaigns took place on 24 and 25 December in Tulkarm governorate.
Hebron/Bethlehem governorates:
• 25 December: Israeli settlers beat Palestinians in Ash shuhada street east south of Yatta.
• 25 December: Israeli settlers install new outposts near Ma’on settlement east of Yatta.
• 30 December: One Palestinian was hospitalised after Israeli settlers beat him near Halhul.
• 25 December: A Palestinian blew up himself at a bus stop in Petah Tikva, killing himself and four Israelis and injuring twenty.
(Source: OCHA field units, UNRWA, UNSCO, PRCS, MoH, UHHC, Governors’ office, Israeli MoFA & IDF web sites, Al Mizan, PCHR)
