Contents

1. Introduction 22. History 33. 40 Years Of Occupation 6a. Killings and Injuries 6b. Collective Punishments 7i. Checkpoints 8ii. Curfews and Closures 9iii. House Demolitions 10iv. Denial of Water 12v. The Wall 12vi. Family Separation 14c. Settlements 14d. Political Prisoners and the use of Torture 16e. Effects on Children 17f. Attacks on Medical Personnel and Services 184. Violations on Press Freedoms 195. Attacks on the Al-Aqsa Sanctuary 206. The Case of Jerusalem 237. The Case of Bethlehem 248. Denying Democracy 259. Conclusion 26

Published by:

Friends of Al-AqsaPO Box 5127Leicester LE2 OWUUKwww.aqsa.org.uk

40 Years of Occupation

1. Introduction

ince the Six Day War between Israel and its Arab neighbours took placein 1967, Israel has been occupying Palestinian territories in the West Bankand Gaza Strip. During these 40 years of occupation, as documented byvarious human rights groups, Israel has been responsible for committinginnumerable war crimes against the civilian Palestinian people. As a resultIsrael has been the subject of a large number of UN Security Council andGeneral Assembly Resolutions.In response to Israel’s aggression and violence, Palestinian retaliation hasresulted in Israeli civilians also being killed in this on going conflict. Whiledeaths on both sides are equally tragic and should never be undermined;the number of Palestinian deaths has been over four times greater than thenumber of Israeli deaths. Similarly, the number of Palestinians injured hasalso been over four times greater. Such statistics confirm thedisproportionate use of violence by the Israeli army against Palestiniancivilians.The aim of this report is to highlight the major areas where Israel hasbreached its obligations under international law and has made life for Palestinians unbearable within the occupied territories. While Israel takesfull advantage of media attention every time Palestinians launch an attackand as a result their stories are told in detail; Palestinians on the other hand face endless violence, suppression and oppression, which is largelyhidden from the world due to Israel’s well documented and deliberaterestrictions on press freedoms in the occupied territories. As a result,Palestinians are often regarded as the forgotten people, and those whosesole source of information is the mainstream media often end up viewingthe Palestinians as the aggressors rather than Israel.The horror of life under occupation gave rise to two uprisings (

Intifadas

)against Israel, and the most recent one continued between September 2000 and 2006. Over 4,000 Palestinians were killed during this period, andover 30,000 were injured. At its end, the Palestinians were further punishedby the international community when they took part in a fair, open andtransparent democratic process because they elected the popular liberationmovement, Hamas.The Palestinian struggle continues to this day, and an end does not appear to be in site especially due to international complicity in the occupation.Therefore, Friends of Al-Aqsa and similar organisations working insolidarity with the Palestinian people will continue to educate and awakenpeople until there is a global change in attitude to the crisis and a just andpeaceful resolution is achieved for all those concerned.