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WEST BANK

Key issues● Increased used of live re against Palestinian civilians: one killed and 43 injured in the West Bank and Gaza.● Israeli authorities demolish 17 structures and displace 24 Palestinians in Area C of the West Bank.

Live ammunition shootings againststone-throwers continue

This week, Israeli forces injured 26 Palestiniansincluding eight children, across the West Bank, 19of whom were injured during clashes in variouscontexts. Of this week’s injuries, ten were caused by live ammunition, ve by rubber-coated metal bullets, four were bi en by police dogs at Israelicheckpoints, three resulted from physical assaults,and three due to su ocation following teargasinhalation.

Clashes between Israeli forces and Palestinian stonethrowers near Al Jalazun Refugee Camp (Ramallah)continued during the week, resulting in the injury of

nine Palestinians, including three children, most ofthem on 14 February. The frequency and intensityof clashes in this location has intensi ed over thepast three weeks, following the killing of a workerfrom the camp (See Protection of Civilians Weekly Report | 28 January 2013 - 3 February 2014 ). Sincethe beginning of 2014, a total of 41 camp residents,including six children, have been injured in clasheswith Israeli forces; 83 percent of these people wereshot and injured by live ammunition.

Another ve Palestinians were injured by Israeliforces in clashes that erupted during search-andarrest operations, including three children shotwith live ammunition in the village of Qabatiya,and a man severely beaten in the village of Tura alGharbiya (both in Jenin governorate).

Five additional injuries occurred in two incidents atIsraeli checkpoints in the Nablus governorate. The

rst, which took place at Hamra checkpoint, resultedin the injury of four men who were bi en by dogsthat are used by checkpoint sta to inspect vehicles

and passengers. In 2011, the Israeli military liftedthe permit requirement for Palestinians using this

Palestinian Fatalities by Isr. forces

Palestinian Injuries by Isr. forces

This week: 0In 2014 (to date): 2

Equivalent 2013 period: 4

o P tPROTECTION OF CIVILIANS

WEEKLY 11-17 FEBRUARY 2014

Weeklyaverage

Search and arrest operations by Isr. forces

3,736223 Total in 2013Total in 2014

Weeklyaverage

www.ochaopt.orgUnited Nations Of ce for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs occupied Palestinian territoryP. O. Box 38712 East Jerusalem 91386 l tel +972 (0)2 582 9962 l fax +972 (0)2 582 5841 l ochaopt@un.org facebook.com/ochaopt

Coordination Saves Lives

checkpoint, which controls access to the northern Jordan Valley. However, strict checking and searchprocedures have remained in place: passengers areobliged to get out of vehicles and walk through afenced lane for individual inspection, while thedrivers remain in their vehicles on the road and getinspected separately. The other incident occurredat a “ ying” checkpoint south of Nablus city, whenIsraeli forces opened re with live ammunition ata taxi that crossed it, allegedly because it did not

stop for inspection; a 17-year-old girl passenger wasinjured as a result.

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PROTECTION OF CIVILIANS

WEEKLY 11 - 17 FEBRUARY 20142

Weeklyaverage

A Palestinian man injured and 200olive trees uprooted by Israeli settlers

This week witnessed three se ler-related incidents,of which one resulted in a Palestinian injury, andtwo in damage to Palestinian-owned agricultural

property. No incidents a ecting Israeli se lers werereported this week.

One of the most serious incidents this week tookplace on 11 February, when a group of Israelise lers from Ma’ale Levona severely beat andinjured a 40-year-old Palestinian from Al Lubbanash Sharqiya village (Nablus), living in a houseadjacent to the se lement and isolated from the restof the village. This incident comes in the contextof longstanding a empts by Israeli se lers to takeover the house and the adjacent water well.

On the following day (12 February), Israeli se lersfrom Susiya se lement uprooted 200 olive saplingsowned by a Palestinian family from the villageof Susiya (Hebron). Later in the week, the IsraeliHigh Court of Justice rejected a petition submi ed by Palestinian farmers from this area, requestingthe return of a large plot of land taken over byse lers from the same se lement, on groundsthat the appropriation is not recent enough totrigger an administrative evacuation by the CivilAdministration.

On 13 February, Israeli se lers from Teqoase lement planted 250 olive trees on a plot ofland, over which two Palestinian families from theadjacent Tuqu’ village (Bethlehem) claim privateownership. Three days later a group of Palestiniansand international activists were prevented fromplanting olive saplings on an adjacent plot after being intimidated and ordered to leave by Israeliforces and se lers. In recent years, the takeoverand subsequent cultivation of private Palestinian

land has become a regular means of se lementexpansion, undermining Palestinian livelihoods.

In the village of Kafr Qaddum (Qalqiliya), Israel set-tlers from Qedumim se lement leveled and laid aline for the disposal of sewage water produced bya house in the se lement. The a ected land is pri-vately-owned by Palestinians and planted with ol-ive trees, but access to it is only allowed during theolive harvest season, following coordination withIsraeli forces. These restrictions on access began12 years ago when the Israeli authorities opened aroad to the se lement and closed it for Palestinians’access with a gate.

Settler-related violence*

Weekly

average

* E

x c

l u d i n

g c a s u a

l t i e

s b

y I s

r a e

l i f o

r c e s

.

Incidents resulting in Pal. casualties or property damage

Incidents resulting in Isr. casualties or property damage

39938

509

Total in 2013Total in 2014

Total in 2013Total in 2014

Demolitions and related displacementsStructures demolished

People displaced

Weekly

average

Weeklyaverage

Total in 2013

Total in 2013

Total in 2014

Total in 2014

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3PROTECTION OF CIVILIANS

WEEKLY 11 - 17 FEBRUARY 2014

Three herding families displaced for asecond time this year in the Jordan

Valley

The Israeli authorities demolished eight residentialand animal structures belonging to three herdingfamilies from the communities of Al Jiftlik (Jericho)and Khirbet Yarza (Tubas) in the Jordan Valley,in areas designated as “closed military zones” fortraining purposes. A total of 24 people, includingnine children, were displaced for the second time inless than a month. At least eight of the demolishedstructures were provided by donors in response toprevious demolitions. The Israeli authorities havedemolished a total of 100 Palestinian structures, anddisplaced 184 people, including 90 children, in the Jordan Valley, since the beginning of 2014. These

demolitions come in the context of a signi cantrise in demolitions and displacement in the JordanValley in 2013.

Also in the Jordan Valley this week, 19 families(about120 people) from the herding community of‘Ibziq were forcibly evacuated from their homes for

ve hours, to make way for military training in thearea. Residents of Al ‘Aqaba and Tayasir villagesin the same area were also a ected by an ongoingmilitary training, which included tank exercises thatdamaged crops and spread panic among children.

Additionally, the Israeli authorities demolishedanother nine animal and commercial structures inthe Area C parts of Deir Dibwan (Ramallah) and Al‘Ezariya (Jerusalem) villages on the grounds thatthey lacked Israeli-issued building permits; a totalof 45 people, including 28 children, were a ected asa result. On the same grounds, the Israeli authoritiesissued at least 10 new demolition and stop-work orders against other Palestinian structures,

including six residential structures, a health clinicand a public road in Area C and East Jerusalem.

Palestinian Fatalities by Isr. forces

Palestinian Injuries by Isr. forces

This week: 1In 2014 (to date): 5

Equivalent 2013 period: 2

Weeklyaverage

8368 Total in 2013Total in 2014

GAZA STRIPOne civilian killed and another 18

injured along the fence

Shooting incidents by Israeli forces at civilians

present in the access restricted areas (ARA) along thefence between the Gaza Strip and Israel continuedduring the week on an almost daily basis, resultingin the killing of one Palestinian civilian and theinjury of 18 others.

On 13 February, a 31-year-old man who wasreportedly collecting gravel and scrap metals inan area around 50 meters from the fence east ofGaza City was shot and killed, and another oneinjured. On the following day, Israeli forces openedlive ammunition re at a group of civilians who

approached the fence east of Jabalia, to protestaccess restrictions, and began throwing stones atIsraeli troops, injuring 17 Palestinians, includingfour children. Since the beginning of the year, atotal of 11 people have been injured in this type ofprotest, constituting all of the injuries in the ARA onland. On two occasions this week, Israeli tanks and bulldozers entered approximately 150 meters insideGaza, and conducted land leveling operations.

On at least one occasion this week, Israeli navalforces opened warning shots towards Palestinian

shing boats approaching or exceeding the Israeli-imposed six-nautical-mile shing limit, without

injury. In another incident, on 11 February, Israeliforces arrested three shermen and con scatedtwo boats while they were reportedly sailing nearthe Israeli-imposed 1.5- nautical- mile “no-go”sea corridor between Gaza and Israel, west of BeitLahia.

Palestinian armed groups red a few projectilestowards southern Israel during the period, twoof which fell short inside Gaza, resulting in noinjuries or damage. In response, Israeli air forcesa acked an open area east of Al Nusairat camp and

a military site south of Gaza city, causing damageto an animal farm.

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PROTECTION OF CIVILIANS

WEEKLY 11 - 17 FEBRUARY 20144

For more information, please contact Mai Yassin at yassinm@un.org or +972 (0)2 5829962.

Please note that the gures in this report are subject to changes upon the receipt of additional information.

Movement of goods(Kerem Shalom Crossing)

Movement of PeopleRafah Crossing (weekly)

Imports

Exports

Kerem ShalomCrossing

Rafah Crossing

Erez Crossing

GazaStrip

A court sentences a man to death

The Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR)reported that a civil court in Gaza has sentenceda 21-year-old Palestinian from northern Gaza todeath after convicting him of killing another man

on 30 May 2013. According to PCHR, this is thesecond death sentence that has been issued sincethe beginning of 2014. This brings the total numberof death sentences issued in the oPt since 1994 to150, 30 of which were executed.

Rafah Crossing again closed The Rafah Crossing between the Gaza Strip andEgypt was closed for all but one day during the week,allowing only 290 Gazans to return. This follows an

improvement last week when the Crossing openedfor ve days. Prior to July 2013, Rafah functioned asthe primary exit and entry point to the Gaza Strip forPalestinians, due to the long-standing restrictionsimposed by Israel on movement via Erez Crossing.The frequent closures of Rafah Crossing are alsodisrupting the entry of basic construction materialsdesignated for humanitarian projects funded by theGovernment of Qatar.