The Israeli human rights organization, B’Tselem, released a report on conditions in Gaza last week, accusing the Israeli government of turning the Gaza Strip into “one big prison.”
According to the report, Israeli security closures across Gaza have increased Palestinian poverty. The closures also limit movement to such an extent, the report states, that Israeli Arabs have an easier time seeing their relatives in Israeli prisons than seeing their relatives living in the Gaza Strip.
The report also states that the upcoming evacuation of Jews from Gaza represents a “severe blow” to the Jews’ rights, including “severe loss of property: they will be forced to give up their homes, and some will lose their means of livelihood. A fear also exists that in coping with protests against disengagement, the state will arbitrarily violate the opponents’ right to liberty,” the report states.
“Since the beginning of the intifada, settlers have been a regular target of attacks by Palestinian organizations,” the report continues. “The attacks consist of shootings and the firing of Kassam rockets and mortar shells. During this period of time, thirty-seven settlers have been killed, four of them minors, and dozens were seriously wounded.
“These attacks are grave breaches of human rights and are considered war crimes according to international humanitarian law. Israel is obligated to use all available legal measures to prevent attacks against settlers,” the report states.