OCHA Weekly Briefing Notes – OPT (9 – 15 Mar 2005) – OCHA report

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OFFICE FOR THE COORDINATION OF HUMANITARIAN AFFAIRS

P.O. Box 38712 East Jerusalem

Phone: (972) 2 – 5829962 / 5825853, Fax: (972) 2 – 5825841

ochaopt@un.org, www.ochaopt.org

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OCHA Weekly Briefing Notes

Update for oPt (9 – 15 March 2005)

INSIDE:   Physical Protection – Deaths and Injuries — Shelter and Property – People displaced/House demolition/Demolition orders — Natural Resources – Land levelling/Requisitions/Tree Uprooting — Facilitation of Humanitarian Assistance – Incidents involving safety and movement of ambulances, medical teams, humanitarian organisations — Access and Movement for Civilians – Curfews, Access to Education, Access to Employment, Closures/Movement Restrictions — Additional Protection Issues

1. Physical Protection

Deaths and Injuries

Palestinians: Deaths: 1; Injured: 5 (approximate)

Israelis: Deaths: 0; Injured: 0 (approximate)

Internationals: Deaths: 0; Injured: 0

Selected incidents:

• 9 March: IDF shot at a Palestinian car at Al Badhan road (road 57) in Nablus injuring one Palestinian. He and two other men in the vehicle were subsequently arrested.

• 10 March: One Palestinian was killed in An Nazlat Wusta in Tulkarm Governorate when the IDF demolished his house while he was inside.

• 11 March: Palestinians and peace activists held demonstrations protesting against the construction of the Barrier in Bil’in and Budrus villages, west of Ramallah. The IDF used tear gas and rubber-coated metal bullets to disperse the protesters. A number of Palestinians suffered from gas inhalation, and one IDF soldier was injured.

• 13 March: About two hundred Palestinian women with support from international and Israeli peace activists held a demonstration in Bi’in village against the construction of the Barrier. The IDF fired tear gas to disperse the protesters. Two women were reportedly injured.

• 13 March: Palestinian shepherds from the community of Jawayah were attacked and beaten by Israeli settlers from Ma’on, while grazing their animals in an agricultural area north of road 317, close to the settlement.

• 14 March: The following day, the same Israeli settlers from Ma’on, south Hebron, shot at and attacked the Palestinian shepherds grazing their animals north of road 317.

• 14 March: Clashes erupted between the IDF and Palestinian students from Bir Zeit University when the IDF set up a flying checkpoint on the main road beside the university to search cars and check Palestinian IDs. The IDF fired tear gas canisters and rubber-coated metal bullets at the students. One student suffered respiratory problems due to gas inhalation and one student was arrested.

• 15 March: Three Palestinian minors (between 10 and 16) were injured by rubber-coated bullets when the IDF entered Budrus village, west of Ramallah.

Sources: OCHA FCU, PRCS, UNRWA, WHO, IDF website, Israeli MoFA, offices of governors.

2. Shelter and Property

People displaced/House demolitions/Demolition orders

West Bank: (2 homes)

• 10 March: One house was demolished in Mount of Olives in Jerusalem due to lack of building permits. Eleven persons have been affected by the demolition.

• 14 March: One house containing two apartments located in Sameramis, North Jerusalem was demolished due to lack of building permits.

The Gaza Strip:

•  No incidents reported.

Sources:  OCHA FCU, UNRWA

3.  Natural Resources

Land levelling/Requisitions/Tree Uprooting¹

West Bank:

• 9 March: Settlers from Asfar uprooted more than fifty five olive trees near Wadi Ibrahim belonging to Palestinians from Sa’ir and Ash Shuyukh, in the Hebron Governorate.

• 10/14 March: Settlers from Al Matan uprooted several olive trees (number unknown) belonging to farmers from Kfur Thulth in Qalqiliya Governorate.

• 11 March: The IDF issued a requisition order covering 6.3 dunums of agricultural land for construction of a new military observation tower near Shufa in Tulkarm Governorate.

• 12 March: A requisition order was issued for 16.6 dunums of land in Deir al Hatab village east of Nablus.

•  9-15 March: The IDF issued the following requisition orders for land in the Ramallah governorate:

– 16.5 dunums in ‘Abud, north Ramallah area, for “military purposes”;

– 0.9 dunums near Psagot settlement in Al Bireh for “military purposes”; and

– Three orders for 4 dunums in Beit ‘Ur al Fauqa, Beit ‘Ur at Tahta and Beit Sira, south Ramallah, for the expansion of highway 443.

• 9 to 15 March: Levelling of land near Kafriat checkpoint, Tulkarm Governorate continued in preparation for a new tunnel under Road 557.

• 9-15 March: Levelling of land continued near Az Zawiya, Deir Ballut and Masha in preparation for Barrier construction.

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¹ 4 dunums = 1 acre; 10 dunums = 1 hectare

Jerusalem Barrier:

North West Jerusalem Villages:

• 9 to 15 March:

– Land levelling continued throughout the week southwest of Beit Surik. A number of trees were also uprooted.

– Levelling also continued between Har Adar settlement near Beit Surik and Beit Liqya in the West.

North Jerusalem

• 9 to 15 March:

-Land levelling continued for the construction of the new terminal checkpoint located south of the current Qalandia checkpoint and west of the Barrier.

-Construction and land levelling continued east of Qalandia checkpoint for the construction of new Israeli – DCL offices, a parking lot and a road to connect Road 60 from the Qalandia area to Ar Ram Jaba Road.

-Land levelling and construction continued alongside the road between Jaba and Hizma and Anata.

East Jerusalem

• 9 to 15 March: Land levelling continued east of Ar Ram near the Coptic housing project and Wadi Ayyad near Neve Yaakov settlement, and on the northern side of Anata and Shufat refugee camp.

South Jerusalem Sur Bahir

• 9 to 15 March: Barrier construction continued on the eastern side and on the southern side of the village.

Requisition orders

• 7 March (not included in last week’s briefing notes): The IDF issued a requisition order for Dahiyet Al Bareed covering 26.2 dunums for the Barrier construction. With this requisition order, the Barrier will divide Dahiyet Al Bareed in two parts leaving one part in Jerusalem side and the other part in the West Bank.

• 8 March (not included in last week’s briefing notes): The IDF issued a requisition order for Sheikh Saed covering 41.3 dunums for the construction of a road that connects Sheikh Saed with Sawahreh El Sharqiyeh.

The Gaza Strip:

• No incidents reported.

Sources: OCHA FCU, Al Mezan Center for Human Rights, UNRWA, Palestinian DCL, Village Council

4.  Facilitation of Humanitarian Assistance

Incidents involving safety and movement of ambulances and medical teams

West Bank:

Denial of access: 0

Delay (more than 30 minutes): 0

Shooting/Damage to Ambulance: 0

The Gaza Strip:

Denial of access: 1

Delay (more 30 minutes): 3

Shooting/Damage to Ambulance: 0

• 14 March: A PRCS ambulance was delayed for approximately 60 minutes at Al Tuffah checkpoint in Khan Younis while on route to Naser hospital with a female patient from Al Mawassi.

Sources: OCHA FCU, WHO, PRCS, Palestinian MoH

5. Access and Movement for Civilians

A. Curfews

• 9 March: The IDF placed Baqa Ash Sharqiya north of Tulkarm under curfew overnight.

• 12 March: The IDF placed Seida and Illar under curfew (1 day) while conducting a search-and-arrest campaign.

Sources: OCHA FCU, Village Councils, UNRWA, Palestinian DCL

B. Access to Education

West Bank:

• 10 March: Students from ‘Aba village (Jenin) were delayed approximately one hour at ‘Aba checkpoint on their way to their schools in Jenin.

• 12 March: Pupils from schools in Azzun in Qalqiliya Governorate were denied access through the Barrier gate into Azzun Atma, which also affected pupils from Beit Amin who attend their classes in Azzun Atma. The students were delayed for more than three hours. The schools in Azzun had planned for a cross-village school visit that day in which the school in Azzun Atma was included.

The Gaza Strip:

• During the reporting period, the 24 pupils living in As-Seafa continued to reach their schools late because they were delayed at the As Seafa gate. Upon return, the pupils were again delayed for several hours and were not allowed to enter the area before approximately 3.30pm.

Sources: OCHA FCU, UNRWA, UNICEF, Palestinian DCL

C. Access to Employment

West Bank:(The figures below are reported on monthly basis)

• Bethlehem: As of 1 March there are 1,472 active permits for workers and 1,081 for traders in Bethlehem Governorate, according to the Israeli DCL.

• Hebron: No figures were available from the Israeli DCL in Hebron.

• Nablus: 1-28 Feb: 700 permits for traders and 509 for workers issued.

• Jenin: 1-28 Feb: 290 permits for traders issued.

• Tubas: 1-28 Feb: 150 permits for traders and 102 for workers issued.

• Ramallah/Al Bireh: 1 Jan – 1 March: 1,100 permits for traders and 1,269 for workers issued.

• Tulkarm: 1- 28 Feb: 1,307 permits for workers issued.

• Qalqiliya: 1-28 Feb: 387 permits for workers.

• Salfit: 1-28 Feb: 531 permits for workers issued.

The Gaza Strip:

Sources: OCHA FCU, UNRWA, UNSCO, Palestinian DCL

D. Closure/Movement Restrictions

Tulkarm Governorate:

Flying checkpoints were frequent during the week throughout the whole governorate affecting general movement.

12 March: A new gate was installed across the access road into the village of Jbara in Tulkarm Governorate from road 57.

Qalqiliya Governorate:

In general, no movement restrictions east of the Barrier were observed during the week.

13 March: Hundreds of Palestinian workers arranged a spontaneous demonstration after they were denied access to Israel despite having valid work permits.

Nablus Governorate:

During the reporting period fewer flying checkpoints were observed on the roads outside the Nablus city. The movement restrictions on the permanent checkpoints were slightly eased as Palestinians from Nablus over 20 years old are allowed to pass the checkpoints (lowered from 25 years of age since 9 March)

9 March: A series of earthmounds were removed on the road connecting Tell Sarra and ‘Iraq Burin to Nablus city. The removal was considered a positive move as the three villages have been under strict closure over the last three years. Movement through the western entrance of the villages is still controlled by a checkpoint, and earth mounds still block access to road 60.

Tubas and Jenin Governorates:

In general, no movement restrictions were observed during the week.

15 March: Two flying checkpoints were erected on the road connecting the Tubas governorate with the Jenin governorate and another two were erected on road 60 between Jenin and Nablus near Anza and Arraba junctions.

Ramallah/Al Bireh Governorate:

11 March: The IDF delayed Palestinian pedestrians at Qalandiya checkpoint for several hours due to a high security alert around Jerusalem.

13 March: The partial checkpoint at An Nabi Salih gate was in operation during the morning rush hours. Delays were experienced.

13, 14 and 15 March: The partial checkpoint at Atara Bridge was in operation and Palestinians faced delays as a result of the IDF checking IDs and car searches.

13 and 15 March: The IDF set up a flying checkpoint at the main entrance to Deir Abu Mash’al village, disrupting the movement of Palestinians in and out of the village.

Jerusalem and Jericho Governorates:

10 March: The IDF closed the Al Noywemeh checkpoint north of Jericho town for four hours.

11/12 March: The IDF was placed on high alert for several hours following reports of a possible attack inside Jerusalem. The checkpoints at Qalandia, Ar Ram, Wadi Nar and Gilo were closed and Palestinians were denied access for several hours. The IDF also deployed several flying checkpoints on the main road in the Jerusalem area.

Hebron Governorate:

The new declaration of temporary military closed areas by the IDF, the proximity of a military training area (Fire Zone 918) stretching to the Green Line and the intervention of security staff from the nearby Israeli settlement of Ma’on have made much of the land around At Tuwani (in southern Hebron) out of bounds for Palestinian shepherds who depend on access to this land to feed their animals. The local Palestinian community has not been clearly notified by the IDF of the lands which are forbidden creating confusion and the possibility for future friction as shepherds inadvertently step into areas declared off-limits.

10 – 13 March: The IDF continued to severely restrict movement and access in the area of the casbah, in the old city of Hebron, forcing shops to close and detaining Palestinians for questioning following the attack on the Border Police recorded last week.

The Enclosed Areas in the Gaza Strip:

As-Seafa

On 13 February, the IDF started to allow Palestinians aged 30 and older residing in As-Seafa to pass in and out of the area without prior coordination. Males and females aged between 16 and 30 years are still required to have 48-hour prior coordination. The gate opens two times a day: 7.30am and 2pm. No vehicular movement is permitted. Coordination for international organisations to enter the area has been extremely problematic.

9 to 15 March: A handful of persons (3-4) were denied access by the IDF on daily basis despite prior coordination and despite being older than 30 years.

12/14/15 March: The IDF did not allow residents of As Seafa to bring in any commodities.

Al Mawassi

IDF restrictions remain, with the entry-exit gate at Al Tuffah checkpoint generally opening twice daily for limited numbers of Al Mawassi ID holders. Opening hours are approximately 8am to 1pm and 2.30pm to 5pm. Since 10 May 2004, males aged below 30 years who are Al Mawassi ID holders have been required to have prior coordination to pass though Al Tuffah checkpoint. Women are now allowed in and out with no age restrictions. Vehicles are not allowed to pass, with some exceptions given for international agencies that have undertaken prior coordination with the IDF. On 4 February, the IDF reopened the checkpoint for all Palestinians except males aged between 16 and 35 years who need prior coordination. Tel Es-Sultan checkpoint remained closed.

Al Maa’ni

The Palestinian area adjacent to Kfar Darom settlement was declared a closed military area following a suicide attack on 27 February 2004. Since 20 July 2002, no vehicular movement has been allowed in and out of the area and the IDF has erected a fence around the area. Movement is restricted by the IDF with the entry-exit gate generally open four times daily for Al Maa’ni ID holders only: from 6.30am to 7.30am, 10.30am to 11.30am, 1pm to 2pm, and 4pm to 5pm. Access for international organisations into the area remains extremely problematic.

Source: OCHA FCUs and UNRWA

6. Additional Protection Issues

• Searches and Arrests

Nablus/Jenin/Tubas

9-15 March: IDF search-and-arrest campaigns took place in El Far'a refugee camp (Tubas), Talluza village (Nablus), Nablus city and Salim village (Nablus). In total, 11 Palestinians were reported to have been arrested.

Tulkarm/Qalqiliya/Salfit

9 to 15 March: IDF search-and-arrest campaigns took place in Seida, Attil, Illar, Bal’a, Nazlat Isa, Nazlat al Gharbiya, An Nazlat Wusta, Baqa Ash Sharqiya, An Nazlat Ash Sharqiya (Tulkarm), Kfur Qaddum (Qalqiliya). In total, 5 Palestinians were reported to have been arrested.

Ramallah /Al Bireh

9-15 March: Throughout the week, IDF search and arrest campaigns took place in Bil’in, Al Jalazun Camp, Silwad, Shuqba and Bir Zeit University. Seven Palestinian males were arrested.

Jerusalem/Jericho

14 March: Two Palestinians were detained in Abu Dis following the burning of Barrier construction equipment.

Hebron/Bethlehem

9–15 March: Search campaigns took place in the old city of Hebron with two Palestinians arrested. In Bethlehem three Palestinians were arrested from Ad Duheisha refugee camp.

The Gaza Strip

13 March: The IDF opened fire against three Palestinians who were observed approaching the Green Line southeast of Beit Hanoun. Two were reported injured of which one was arrested as well.

Sources: OCHA FCUs, UNRWA, UNSECCORD, UNSCO, Palestinian DCLs, Palestinian Governors’ offices, Al Mezan Center for Human Rights, IDF

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