Updates

On Tuesday, 12 June 2012, Israel’s Civil Administration distributed demolition orders to over 50 temporary structures in the Palestinian village of Susiya in the South Hebron Hills. Residents were given three days, until 15 June 2012, to appeal the orders through the Civil Administration’s Supreme Planning Council. Residents are planning to submit their opposition today (14 June 2012).If the demolition orders are carried out, this will be the third time that Israel has tried to expel the residents of Susiya from their lands.

January 2012
In 2011, volunteers in B'Tselem's camera project filmed over 500 hours of footage in the West Bank. There are two minutes we collected from it, in order to sum up the passing year.

In the past four months, the Civil Administration has demolished all the structures in Khirbet Tana, a Bedouin village of 250 people in the Jordan Valley. Following the completion of the demolition, on 2 March, only a mosque was left standing in the village. The demolition is part of Israel's ongoing attempt to expel the Bedouin from the Jordan Valley.

In its end of year summary, B'Tselem warns that the continued siege on Gaza and the settlement enterprise prevent any real human rights improvement. There was a decline this year in Palestinian casualties, and in rocket-fire at Israel, as well as easing of West Bank movement and a decision to ease imports and exports from Gaza. At the same time there was a dramatic increase in house demolitions and restrictions on demonstrations.

Last month, the Civil Administration demolished all the structures in al-Farsiya and in other Bedouin farming communities in the northern Jordan Valley, delivered dozens of demolition and eviction orders in additional communities, and confiscated water pumps.

B'Tselem is today (Monday, 14 June) publishing its annual report on human rights in the Occupied Territories, covering the 16-month period from January 2009 to April 2010. The report surveys the events since the beginning of Operation Cast Lead. One and a half years after the operation, the allegations regarding breaches of international humanitarian law by Israel and Hamas have yet to be properly investigated.

One year ago today, Operation Cast Lead began. 762 Palestinians who did not take part in the hostilities were killed, and vast damage was caused to houses, factories, and infrastructure in Gaza. Israel has not yet instituted an independent apparatus to investigate the violations committed by the army during the operation, and nobody has been brought to justice.

B'Tselem has commemorated 20 years since its founding by releasing data on human rights in the Occupied Territories during this period. 7398 Palestinians, 995 Israeli civilians and 488 members of the Israeli security forces were killed in the conflict. At least 10,000 Palestinian homes were demolished for various alleged reasons.

While the military has attacked the credibility of soldiers' testimonies regarding Operation Cast Lead, it has failed to open a single serious investigation into events detailed by Palestinian witnesses to B'Tselem.