3. Israeli Violations in the Current Crisis

Various United Nations organs have recognized and condemned the gravity of Israeli human rights violations during the crisis that erupted on September 28. Security Council Resolution 1322 called “upon Israel, the occupying Power, to abide scrupulously by its legal obligations and its responsibilities under the Fourth Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War of 12 August 1949” (S/RES/1322(2000)). The Human Rights Commission, meeting recently in emergency session, condemned “the disproportionate and indiscriminate use of force in violation of international humanitarian law by the Israeli occupying Power against innocent and unarmed Palestinian civilians” (E/CN.4/S-5/L.2/Rev.1).

Equally grave human rights violations have resulted from the strict Israeli military blockade imposed on the OPT. Many Palestinian population centers are under military siege, with no exit or entry permitted for trade, work, or even medical emergencies. As a result, the Palestinian economy has been severely damaged. The office of the United Nations Special Coordinator (UNSCO) has estimated daily economic losses at over $8 million, not including material damage to physical assets. This amounts to a cumulative loss of almost $400 million to date, far exceeding the total value of donor disbursements to the Palestinian Authority this year. This crippling of Palestinian trade and other economic activities has extremely negative consequences for the realization of the rights to food, health care, education and work, as documented below.

While sector-specific socio-economic data on this decline is not yet available, the following examples, based on materials from UNSCO, the Palestinian Authority, and international and local NGOs, underscore the gravity of economic, social and cultural rights violations to date:

• Both inside Israel and in the OPT, the Israeli army has prevented medical aid and personnel from reaching injured Palestinians and has even attacked clearly-marked medical vehicles, wounding medical personnel and killing at least one ambulance driver.
• Unemployment in the OPT has tripled during the crisis, causing severe economic hardship especially for poor and vulnerable sectors of the population.
• Children traveling to and from school in the OPT have come under Israeli fire, and many schools in the OPT have been forced to close.
• Israel has deliberately destroyed Palestinian agricultural land in the OPT, including over 3,000 acres in Gaza alone, and prevented farmers from harvesting their crops.
• Israel has shut down the Gazan fishing industry.
• Israeli use of heavy weapons has destroyed utilities, schools, homes, roads, cars and civilian property throughout the OPT.
• Trade between Gaza, the West Bank and Israel has virtually stopped due to the internal and external closure.
• Israel has closed border crossings to Jordan and Egypt, and restricted use of the airport and seaports, cutting most Palestinian access to the outside world.