Guardian: Gaza hit by power crisis

Gaza is in the midst of an acute power crisis, with blackouts lasting up to 12 hours and a shortage of generator fuel putting at risk the lives of cardiac and dialysis patients and babies in incubators, as well as increasing daily hardship among the general population.

The sole, privately owned, power station in the Palestinian enclave shut down on Tuesday for the second time in two weeks as a result of the fuel shortage, worsening already limited electricity supplies.

Thirteen public hospitals are running generators on emergency fuel supplied by the Red Cross more than a week ago. However, the 150,000 litres of diesel are expected to be exhausted within the next few days.

Full Article
http://www.guardian.co.uk/global-development/2012/mar/01/gaza-energy-crisis-risk-hardship

Case Review: The State's obligation to investigate suspected grave violations of international law committed in Gaza during 2004 military operations ‘Rainbow’ and ‘Days of Penitence’

On 8 December 2011, the Israeli Supreme Court by a panel of three justices, Chief Justice Beinisch and Justices Rubinstein and Melcer, rejected a petition submitted by Adalah, in cooperation with the Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR) and Al-Haq (jointly referred to as the “petitioners”). The petition demanded that the Israeli authorities open a criminal investigation into the killings and injury of civilians and into the extensive damage to homes in the Gaza Strip in 2004. The loss of life and damage to property occurred during the Israeli army’s military Operations ‘Rainbow’ and ‘Days of Penitence’, both of which took place before Israel's unilateral disengagement from the Gaza Strip. The Supreme Court rejected the case mainly on two grounds: generality of the petition; and delay in submission to the court.

Full Report - 10 pages
http://www.pchrgaza.org/files/2012/Gaza%20Case%20Review%20English.pdf

OCHA: Monthly Humanitarian Monitor - January 2012

The Israeli Supreme Court (IHC) rejects petition challenging constitutionality of law that bans family reunification for Palestinian citizens and permanent residents of Israel with spouses from oPt. Another IHC ruling upholds the legality of Israeli-owned quarries established since 1967 in the West Bank-at least five of Israeli quarries in WB are owned by or operated within Israeli settlements. Palestinian victims of 2009 military offensive against Gaza still unable to seek compensation for war-related damages through the Israeli legal system. COGAT releases document revealing that authorization for projects in Gaza given on political basis.

Full Report - 16 pages
http://www.ochaopt.org/documents/ocha_opt_the_humanitarian_monitor_2012_02_16_english.pdf

Haim Malka / CSIS: Gaza's Health Sector under Hamas

This paper traces the evolution of Hamas’s health care services from the movement’s origins to its current role as the de facto government of Gaza. The paper focuses primarily on the impact of Palestinian divisions on the development of Gaza’s health sector since Hamas’s takeover of Gaza in June 2007, and it examines how regional trends in 2011 have influenced internal Palestinian dynamics that will likely shape Gaza’s health care sector and the Palestinian population more broadly in the future. Finally, the paper examines the U.S. policy implications of Hamas’s successful management of health services in Gaza.

Full Report - 22 pages
http://csis.org/files/publication/120215_Malka_GazaHealthSector_Web.pdf

IRIN: Promises of exports fall short for Gaza’s manufacturers

Mu’min Najar drags open the massive door to the goods depot of his father’s furniture factory, the Modern Industrial Group (MIG), in Rafah in the Gaza Strip.

“Everything you see here is waiting to be sold abroad,” he says.

On the left side of the depot, writing desks are piled up several metres high. Further towards the back, hundreds of chairs have been waiting to be sold for more than a year now, and are covered in dust.

Full Article
http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?reportid=94872

Palestine Center Report: When Settlers Attack

The Palestine Center released a comprehensive report on Israeli settler violence against Palestinian civilians and their property in the West Bank. The report, "When Settlers Attack," is comprised of data gathered over a span of seven years, from 2004 to 2011, that includes over 3,700 separate incidents of settler violence. It provides analysis as to why, how and when Israeli settler violence occurs.

The Palestine Center found that there has been a steady increase of Israeli settler attacks against Palestinian civilians over the past five years and that they are increasingly occurring in the northern West Bank targeting rural villages.

Full Report - 53 pages
http://www.thejerusalemfund.org/ht/a/GetDocumentAction/i/32678

Al Jazeera: Gaza Strip faces severe fuel crisis

The Gaza Strip's only power station has been shut down, cutting electricity in the area by almost two-thirds.

The Palestinian enclave usually relies on fuel smuggled in from Egypt, but the power facility has run out. Gaza is under a sea and land blockade imposed by Israel, which prevents regular shipments of power to the area.

Gaza's energy authorities say they will now only be able to give each household six hours of electricity at a time.

Link to Video
http://www.aljazeera.com/video/middleeast/2012/02/20122142045139110.html

Reporters Without Borders: Israeli troops take aim at photojournalists covering protests in West Bank

Reporters Without Borders strongly condemns the violence used by Israeli forces against Palestinian, Israeli and foreign photojournalists covering demonstrations against Israel’s West Bank separation barrier and the continuing colonisation of Palestinian territory.

The press freedom organization deplores the total impunity enjoyed by the soldiers responsible for these abuses.

On 10 February, two Palestinian journalists were injured by tear gas grenades and rubber bullets fired by Israeli soldiers as they were covering a weekly protest in the village of Nabi Saleh against the barrier and encroachment on their land. They included Ahmed Maslah, who works as a cameraman for the Turkish television station TRT and a photographer for the New York Times.

Full Press Release
http://en.rsf.org/israel-israeli-troops-take-aim-at-14-02-2012,41880.html

IDF defends attack on journalists in Nabi Saleh
http://972mag.com/idf-spokesperson-defends-israeli-forces-shooting-at-journalists-in-nabi-saleh/31309/

Al Mezan Condemns Israeli Attacks on Fishermen and Calls on International Community to Intervene and Uphold Its Legal Obligations

Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) continue to carry out systematic attacks on Palestinian fishermen. The IOF regularly opens fire on fishermen, pursues them at sea while they are fishing, and arrests them. In the most recent example, Israeli gunboats opened fire on two Palestinian fishing boats in two separate incidents in the Al Waha area west of Beit Lahiya, North Gaza district. The IOF arrested four fishermen, including a child, on board the boats, and later released them. Two of those detained were subjected to blackmail.

Full Press Release
http://www.mezan.org/en/details.php?id=13568&ddname=fisherman&id2=9&id_dept=9&p=center

PCHR: Gaza Power Plant Forced to Shut Down

The operation of Gaza Energy Plant was stopped this morning because the fuel required to operate the Plant ran out. PCHR is concerned that the current crisis may impact the access of 1.6 million Palestinians to vital services, including the supply of drinking water, and that this crisis may result in the suspension of work in some vital sectors, such as health, sanitation and education.

According to PCHR's follow up of the ongoing power crisis in the Gaza Strip, the Palestinian Energy Authority in Gaza announced that the operation of the Gaza Power plant was totally stopped this morning, 14 February 2012, due to the lack of fuel. The Energy Authority alleged that the lack of fuel is due to the intentional measures taken to prevent the delivery of fuel to Gaza. In a press release published today on its website, the Energy Authority in Gaza noted that the main power resource in Gaza shut down, explaining that this power resource already suffers from serious deficit and covers only 35% of Gaza needs' of electrical power.

Full Press Release
http://www.pchrgaza.org/portal/en/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=8157:gaza-power-plant-forced-to-shut-down-pchr-concerned-by-deterioration-of-humanitarian-conditions-of-approximately-16-million-palestinians-in-the-gaza-strip-&catid=36:pchrpressreleases&Itemid=194

Maan News Agency: Gaza power plant stops running
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=460417

ICRC Operational Update: Israel and the occupied territories - another year without change

The Gaza closure, now in its fifth year, continued to affect all aspects of life in the coastal enclave and to remove any prospect of economic recovery despite some concessions made by the Israeli authorities. The lengthy permit process and the rigorous security checks required to exit Gaza, whether for treatment, education or training, remained a cause of particular concern.

The continued building of Israeli settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem prevented many more Palestinian farmers from being able to reach their lands. Because of the scarcity of building permits, many Palestinians living in areas under Israeli control built houses without permission, despite the risk of seeing their homes destroyed.

Full Press Release
http://www.icrc.org/eng/resources/documents/update/2012/palestine-israel-update-2012-02-06.htm

Human Rights Watch Report: Israel -- End Restrictions on Palestinian Residency

Israeli policies on Palestinian residency have arbitrarily denied thousands of Palestinians the ability to live in, and travel to and from, the West Bank and Gaza, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today. Israel should immediately stop denying or cancelling the residency of Palestinians and close family members with deep ties to the West Bank and Gaza, and end blanket bans on processing their applications for residency.

The 90-page report, “Forget about Him, He’s Not Here,” describes the arbitrary exclusion by the Israeli military of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians since 1967 and documents the impact that exclusion continues to have on individuals and families. The way Israel’s military has exercised its control over the Palestinian population registry – the list of Palestinians whom it considers to be lawful residents of the West Bank and Gaza territories – has separated families, caused people to lose jobs and educational opportunities, barred people from entering the Palestinian territories, and trapped others inside them, Human Rights Watch said.

Press Release
http://www.hrw.org/node/104961

Full Report - 116 pages
http://www.hrw.org/sites/default/files/reports/iopt0212webwcover.pdf

Palestinian Council of Human Rights Organisations: Open Letter to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon -- Negotiations Must Adhere to International Law

The UN Human Rights system, as well as the various resolutions of the General Assembly and the Security Council have repeatedly condemned the unlawful situation arising from the prolonged occupation of the OPT and have called for Israel to respect international law and put an end to all violations. Should the Quartet not also adhere to these same principles and demand that respect for international law be the pre-requisite of negotiations? Otherwise, UN participation in the Quartet is inconsistent with its commitment to the tenets of international law and justice.

Full Letter
http://www.alhaq.org/advocacy/targets/united-nations/522-joint-letter-to-ban-ki-moon-negotiations-must-adhere-to-international-law

B'Tselem: Sharp increase in administrative detention in 2011

In 2011, there was a sharp increase in the number of Palestinian administrative detainees held by Israel, from 219 in January to 307 in December, according to figures B'Tselem received from the Israel Prison Service. Twenty-nine percent of the detainees had been held for six months to one year; another 24 percent from one to two years. Seventeen Palestinians had been in administrative detention continuously for two to four and a half years, and one man has been held for over five years. At the end of 2011, Israel was holding one minor in administrative detention.

Full Article
http://www.btselem.org/administrative_detention/20120201_sharp_rise_in_administrative_detention

80th Session of the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination - Reports Submitted

ADALAH - 40 pages
AL-Haq BADIL ADDMEER WCLAC - 41 pages
African Refugee Development Center (ARDC) - 30 pages
BADIL - 18 pages
ICAHD - 20 pages

Negev Coexistence Forum for Civil Equality (NCF) - 39 pages

Palestinian Centre for Human Rights - 29 pages

The Coalition Against Racism in Israel - 44 pages

Human Rights Watch: Israel -- High Court Rulings Undermine Human Rights

Recent decisions by Israel’s high court aim to legitimize clear violations of Israel’s international legal obligations, Human Rights Watch said today. In one decision, the court disregarded international law prohibiting discrimination, and in another, it ignored international law on the use of resources in an occupied territory. Israel should annul a law preventing Israeli citizens from living with their Palestinian spouses and end policies that permit private Israeli companies to strip rocks and other construction materials from quarries in the occupied West Bank for their own economic gain.

Full Article
http://www.hrw.org/news/2012/01/30/israel-high-court-rulings-undermine-human-rights

OHCHR: The Access Restricted Areas in the Gaza Strip in 2011

Israeli authorities have continued to impose an illegal blockade on the Gaza Strip, placing physical and administrative restrictions on the movement of people and goods. This includes imposing a “buffer zone”, or an access restricted area (ARA) on land and sea. Restricted land includes the “no-go” zone, which covers the area between 0 - 500 metres from the Israeli fence where access is totally prohibited, and the “high risk” zone, which covers the area from 500 - 1,500 metres up to the fence. Along most of Gaza’s coast, the restricted area begins at three nautical miles (NM) from shore.

Full Report - 5 pages
http://www.pchrgaza.org/files/2012/ARA%20Update%202011.pdf

Peace Now: Torpedoing the Two State Solution -- Summary of 2011 in the Settlements

20% rise in construction starts in the settlements – at least 1,850 building starts for housing units, 35% of them (650 units) in isolated settlements east of the planned route of the Separation Barrier.

At least 3,500 units were under construction during 2011 (started to be built or continued construction from previous years).

1,577 units in settlements were published as tenders (and another 2,057 units in East Jerusalem) – as part of the Ministry of Housing's official list of upcoming tenders. Among others: 317 units in Efrat, 277 in Ariel, 642 units in Beitar Illit and 42 in Karnei Shomron.

Full Report
http://peacenow.org.il/eng/2011Summary

B'Tselem: Three years since Operation Cast Lead -- Israeli military utterly failed to investigate itself

Three years after the end of the operation, the dozens of MPIU investigations opened into cases of harm to civilians have yet to yield results. The Military Advocate General Corps has created a haze around them, preventing any possibility of examining their effectiveness. The Corps' responses to B'Tselem, combined with media reports, indicate that three indictments have been filed against soldiers who took part in the operation: for theft of a credit card from a Palestinian civilian, for use of a nine-year-old Palestinian child as a human shield, and for “manslaughter of an anonymous person.”

Full Report
http://www.btselem.org/gaza_strip/20120118_3_years_after_cast_lead

Human Rights Watch: World Report 2012 -- Israel/Occupied Palestinian Territories

Serious human rights violations continued in 2011 in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT). Israeli soldiers used unnecessary lethal force against demonstrators in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights and across the border in Lebanon. Israeli military attacks in Gaza and policing operations in the West Bank resulted in the deaths of at least 37 civilians.

Israel continued to block exports from, and many imports to, the Gaza Strip, hindering the rebuilding of Gaza’s devastated economy. In the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, Israel demolished a record number of Palestinian homes under discriminatory practices, imposed severe restrictions on Palestinian freedom of movement, continued to build unlawful settlements, and arbitrarily detained peaceful protesters, including children.

Full Report
http://www.hrw.org/world-report-2012/world-report-2012-israeloccupied-palestinian-territories

OCHA: Monthly Humanitarian Monitor - December 2011

2011 was characterized by a lack of respect for IHL and IHR. Israeli settlement activity accelerated, with an almost 20% increase in new ‘starts’ for housing units, compared to 2010. Almost 1,100 Palestinians were forcibly displaced as a result of the demolition of over 620 structures. Two thirds of all Palestinian casualties in WB occurred in the context of attacks by Israeli settlers or during clashes with Israeli forces at demonstrations protesting settlement takeover of land. As in past years, restricted access to land in the vicinity of settlements, along with Israeli settler violence, were among the key factors undermining the olive harvest. In Gaza, 1/3 of essential drugs and 20% medical supplies are at zero stock.

Full Report - 15 pages
http://www.ochaopt.org/documents/ocha_opt_the_humanitarian_monitor_2012_01_19_english.pdf

ICAHD Report: The Judaization of Palestine -- 2011 Displacement Trends

House demolitions and forced evictions are among Israel’s most heinous practices in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT). In 2011, a record year of displacement, a total of 622 Palestinian structures were demolished by Israeli authorities, of which 36% (or 222) were family homes; the remainder were livelihood-related (including water storage and agricultural structures), resulting in 1,094 people displaced, almost double the number for 2010.

The Jordan Valley sustained the largest number of demolitions (32% of total structures demolished, 40% of residential structures demolished, 37% of people displaced), with 199 structures demolishedand 401 people displaced.

Full Report - 20 pages
http://www.scribd.com/iepshtain/d/78666859-The-Judaization-of-Palestine-2011-Displacement-Trends

OCHA: The Humanitarian Impact of Israeli Settlement Policies Fact Sheet - January 2012

Settlements are illegal under international law. The seizure of land for settlement building and future expansion has resulted in the shrinking of space available for Palestinians to sustain their livelihoods and develop adequate housing, basic infrastructure and services. The failure to respect international law, along with the lack of lack of adequate law enforcement vis-à-vis settler violence and takeover of land has led to a state of impunity, which encourages further violence and undermines the physical security and livelihoods of Palestinians.

Fact Sheet
http://www.ochaopt.org/documents/ocha_opt_settlements_FactSheet_January_2012_english.pdf

PCHR: Status of Criminal and Civil Complaints Submitted to Israeli Authorities on behalf of Victims of Operation Cast Lead

The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) represents 1,046 individual victims of Operation Cast Lead, Israel’s 27 December 2008 – 18 January 2009 offensive on the Gaza Strip. Criminal and civil complaints on behalf of each of these victims were submitted to the Israeli authorities; to-date substantive responses have only been received with respect to 2 criminal cases, and 2 civil cases.

Criminal complaints are submitted to the Israeli Military Advocate General. Complaints consist of a request to open a criminal investigation, and are accompanied by an evidence bundle, including, for example, affidavits, medical reports, expert opinions, maps, videos, photographs, and so on. PCHR submitted 490 criminal complaints (covering all 1,046 victims).

Full Press Release
http://www.pchrgaza.org/portal/en/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=8087:status-of-criminal-and-civil-complaints-submitted-to-israeli-authorities-on-behalf-of-victims-of-operation-cast-lead-&catid=144:new-reports

Stuart Reigeluth and Dimitris Bouris: Israel still occupies and isolates Gaza

Three years ago, Israel was carrying out Operation Cast Lead that took the lives of over 1.500 Palestinians in Gaza. The official reason for the Israeli invasion was to recover a soldier; the intended purpose was to remove Hamas; the result was wanton destruction that "this time we went too far", according to Israeli columnist Gideon Levy.

As a casus belli, Israel claimed that the launching of those home-made Qassam rockets needed to end. The official Israeli figures show that the number of Qassams actually decreased in the summer and autumn of 2008.

Stuart Reigeluth and Dimitris Bouris work at the Council for European Palestinian Relations (www.thecepr.org) in Brussels and London.

Full Article
http://gulfnews.com/opinions/columnists/israel-still-occupies-and-isolates-gaza-1.966813

Norman Finkelstein: There was no war in Gaza, it was a massacre

Link to Video
http://www.normanfinkelstein.com/norman-finkelstein-there-was-no-war-in-gaza-it-was-a-massacre/

Al Haq: Israeli Army Shoots 12-year-old Boy near Buffer Zone

A common sound heard by Palestinians living near the so-called buffer zone in the Gaza Strip is the sound of sporadic gun-fire coming from the Israeli controlled border. This gun-fire has deadly consequences. Many Palestinian civilians, usually farmers and rubble-collectors, whose workplace or home lies near the buffer zone, have been killed or injured whilst going about their daily activities.

Full Article
http://www.alhaq.org/documentation/weekly-focuses/517-israeli-army-shoots-12-year-old-boy-near-buffer-zone-

Al Mezan Condemns Destruction and Removal of Al Muntar Crossing and Views This Step as Entrenchment of Siege

The Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) have announced their intent to destroy and remove Al Muntar (Karni) crossing and attached structures. In the morning hours of Monday 2 January 2012, the IOF began destroying buildings at the crossing. This move will wipe out one of Gaza’s main economic gateways, which was used to provide the Strip with commodities and goods. It was also used to export Palestinian agricultural and industrial products from the Gaza Strip to the West Bank and the outside world.

Full Press Release
http://www.mezan.org/en/details.php?id=13227&ddname=Crossings&id2=9&id_dept=9&p=center

Gaza Gateway: Six common misconceptions about Gaza that are so 2011

In sixth place: “The civilian closure has been lifted and only security restrictions remain”.

Gaza is not as isolated from the rest of the world as it was a few years ago, but it is still cut off from the West Bank and it’s hard to find convincing security reasons why. For example, Israel prohibits students from traveling from Gaza to the West Bank – individual security checks are not even an option because the ban is sweeping. Israel does not allow goods from Gaza to be sold in the West Bank or Israel, while at the same time allowing exports from Gaza to Europe to be transferred through its own airports and seaports.

Full Article
http://www.gazagateway.org/2012/01/six-common-misconceptions-about-gaza-that-are-so-2011/

Al Mezan: Displacement in the “Buffer Zone” Three Years after Operation Cast Lead

The Buffer Zone is a military no-go zone imposed by Israel, starting at the border fence between Israel and the Gaza Strip and extending a substantial distance into Gazan territory. “Buffer zone,” or sometimes “access-restricted areas,” are terms generally used by Israel to describe the band of Gazan territory to which Palestinian access is effectively denied. (The term “Buffer Zone” is used throughout this factsheet for simplicity’s sake.) Israel treats this border area, which contains much of Gaza’s most valuable arable land, as a free-fire zone, meaning any Gazan resident entering the zone is at risk of death or injury. It also regularly sends troops, including armoured columns, into the border areas to keep the lands razed of any built-up structures or agricultural activity. Despite the mortal threat associated with entering the Buffer Zone, its actual width and area are unclear.

Press Release
http://www.mezan.org/en/details.php?id=13210&ddname=buffer%20zone&id2=7&id_dept=22&p=center

Full Report - 8 pages
http://www.mezan.org/upload/13210.pdf

Factsheet: Israeli Abuses of Gaza Fisherman -- The Need for Protection
http://www.mezan.org/upload/13207.pdf

Daoud Kuttab: War on Gaza -- Three Years Later

Three years ago the Israeli army initiated a major military offensive against the people of the Gaza strip with the aim of stopping the shelling from Gaza and the release of one of their soldiers that was held in the strip. Over 1,400 Palestinians, many of them women and children, were killed, thousands were injured, and public, private and internationally owned properties were damaged as a result of the attack that came from land, sea and air.

Both publicly stated goals failed in this criminal war against a defenseless population and lightly armed militants. Shelling from Gaza has continued intermittently since the war.

Full Article
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/daoud-kuttab/war-on-gaza-three-years-l_b_1173993.html?ref=tw

Al Mezan Calls for Lifting the Siege and Enforcement of International Accountability Mechanisms for Violations of International Law

Today, Tuesday 27 December 2011, marks the third anniversary of the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip (code-named “Operation Cast Lead” (OCL)). During this 22-day military operation, the Israeli occupation forces (IOF) killed hundreds of Palestinians, destroyed and razed tens of thousands of residential houses, public facilities, and agricultural infrastructure, detained hundreds of Palestinians and subjected them to torture, and used civilians, including children, as human shields.

Operation Cast Lead was unprecedented in its scope and brutality. The IOF attacked civilians and civilian objects in flagrant violation of international law, conduct that rises to the level of war crimes and may have constituted crimes against humanity, as described by the UN Fact-Finding Mission.

Full Press Release
http://www.mezan.org/en/details.php?id=13191&ddname=castlead3&id2=9&id_dept=9&p=center

3 Years After Operation Cast Lead Justice has been Comprehensively Denied; PCHR Release 23 Narratives Documenting the Experience of Victims

Today marks the third anniversary of the commencement of Operation Cast Lead, Israel’s 27 December 2008 – 18 January 2009 offensive on the Gaza Strip. 27 December also marks the anniversary of the single bloodiest day in the history of the occupation; on this day three years ago 334 Palestinians were killed by Israeli forces, 76.6% of whom were civilian.

In total, 1,419 Palestinians were killed during Operation Cast Lead, 1,167 (82.2%) of whom were civilians. A further 5,300 were injured.

To mark the anniversary of the attacks, and to highlight the continuing lack of justice, the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) will release a series of narratives, documenting the experiences of victims in the three years since the offensive. The story of the Al Ashi family is released today.

Full Press Release
http://www.pchrgaza.org/portal/en/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=7979:3-years-after-operation-cast-lead-justice-has-been-comprehensively-denied-pchr-release-23-narratives-documenting-the-experience-of-victims-&catid=36:pchrpressreleases&Itemid=194

The Narratives

-29 December 2008: Balousha Family

- 28 December 2008: The Abu Taima family

- 27 December 2008: The Al Ashi Family.

PCHR Factsheet: Overview of Flaws Inherent in the Israeli Judicial System and Criminal Complaints Submitted to the Israeli Authorities on behalf of Victims of Operation Cast Lead

The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) submitted 490 criminal complaints, on behalf of 1,046 victims, to the Israeli Military Advocate General (MAG). These complaints alleged the commission of international crimes and requested the opening of a criminal investigation. The majority of complaints were submitted by mid-2009.

The complaints submitted by PCHR cover virtually the entire spectrum of possible international humanitarian law violations, including the war crimes of: wilful killing, the direct targeting of civilians and civilian objects, the extensive destruction of property, and indiscriminate attacks.

Link to Factsheet
http://www.pchrgaza.org/portal/en/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=7977:factsheet-overview-of-flaws-inherent-in-the-israeli-judicial-system-and-criminal-complaints-submitted-to-the-israeli-authorities-on-behalf-of-victims-of-operation-cast-lead-&catid=56:fact-sheets-&Itemid=18

Al Haq: What is to prevent ‘Cast Lead’ from happening again?

It is with great disappointment that Al-Haq commemorates a third year since ‘Operation Cast Lead’ resulted in the death of more than 1400 Palestinians in Gaza, and the victims continue to wait for justice. In the aftermath of the Israeli offensive, which was characterised by numerous and systematic violations of the laws of war, the survivors were interviewed, investigations were opened and a United Nations Fact Finding Mission led victims and human rights activists to be hopeful of achieving justice through accountability.

Three years later the international community continues to show its complete lack of political will to achieve justice for the victims who have all but abandoned such expectations. Only three Israeli soldiers have received convictions and minor sentences for their actions during ‘Cast Lead’.

Full Press Release
http://www.alhaq.org/advocacy/targets/united-nations/515-what-is-to-prevent-cast-lead-from-happening-again

A View of Operation Cast Lead from Samouni Street

A story told from the viewpoint of four children of the extended Samouni family in Gaza. Through animated drawings they express what happened to them and their family during 'Operation Cast Lead.'

Link to Video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wld2TIbUfWM

Al Mezan: Children in the Gaza Strip's Access to Medical Care

Children in the Gaza Strip are often unable to obtain adequate medical care because of the four-year Israeli-imposed closure of the border and Israel’s complete control over the movement of people and goods. The severe lack of medicines and equipment coupled with the prevention of medical personal to travel to develop their skills and knowledge has created a situation where injured and ill patients often have to seek specialized treatment outside of the Gaza Strip. Israel has an obligation to fulfil and make available the highest standard of health to those in the occupied Palestinian territories (oPt). Israel is also obliged under international humanitarian law (IHL) to allow access of medical staff and equipment, as well as patients’ access to adequate healthcare where it has control over their movement, such as the Gaza Strip.

Press Release
http://www.mezan.org/en/details.php?id=13131&ddname=children&id2=7&id_dept=22&p=center

Full Report - 14 pages
http://www.mezan.org/upload/13131.pdf

PCHR Condemns Placing Large Floats 3 Miles from Gaza Seashore to Tighten the Siege Imposed on the Gaza Strip

The Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR) condemns the placing of large floats by Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) 3 miles from the Gaza Strip seashore, beyond which Palestinian fishermen are banned from sailing. This measure serves to institutionalize the siege imposed on the Gaza Strip, and enhances IOF’s control over the Gaza Strip’s regional water. PCHR warns that this measure will lead to more attacks by IOF against Palestinian fishermen, depriving them of their means of subsistence, under the pretest of sailing beyond the sea floats.

PCHR has obtained affidavits from a number of Palestinian fishermen in the Gaza Strip, in which they expressed concerns that such Israeli measures would tighten the closure imposed on the Gaza Strip and restrict their work by limiting the permissible fishing area to only 3 nautical miles.

Full Press Release
http://www.pchrgaza.org/portal/en/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=7958:pchr-condemns-placing-large-floats-3-miles-from-gaza-seashore-to-tighten-the-siege-imposed-on-the-gaza-strip-&catid=36:pchrpressreleases&Itemid=194

The Monthly Humanitarian Monitor -- November 2011

This month, more than 90% of 40 demolitions by Israeli authorities targeted Bedouin communities in JV and surrounding Jerusalem. In Gaza, 4 truckloads of strawberries exported to European markets. 90% decline in sardine catch compared to 2008 in Gaza. The Israeli authorities approved 15 new building projects to be implemented by international organizations in Gaza, and allowed entry of limited materials for private-sector factories. Following the October 2011 prisoner exchange, reports by media and HR groups indicate that released prisoners face harassment by Israeli soldiers and death threats from settlers. CAP funded at only 55% in 2011.

Full Report - 17 pages
http://www.ochaopt.org/documents/ocha_opt_the_humanitarian_monitor_2011_12_15_english.pdf

Yesh Din: Alleged Investigation -- The Failure of Investigations Into Offenses Committed by IDF Soldiers Against Palestinians

A new Yesh Din report titled "Alleged Investigation: The Failure of Investigations Into Offenses Committed by IDF Soldiers Against Palestinians", reveals for the first time the systematic failures preventing the success of MPCID (Military Police Criminal Investigations Division) investigations of offenses committed by Israeli soldiers against Palestinians. The result of these failures is that 96.5% of complaints are closed without indictments being filed.

This report is based on 192 complaints monitored by the organization and on the analysis of the contents of 67 MPCID investigation files. The complaints and investigation files cover a wide spectrum of serious offenses against Palestinian civilians and their property including, acts of killing and injury, looting, theft and other property damage, violence, abuse of passers-by and detainees, and more.

Press Release
http://yesh-din.org/infoitem.asp?infocatid=165

Full Report - 109 pages
http://www.yesh-din.org/userfiles/file/Reports-English/Alleged%20Investigation%20%5BEnglish%5D.pdf