Today, 15 of May 2007, marks the 59th anniversary of the Palestinian Nakba, which witnessed one of the largest acts of forced evection and ethnic cleansing in the modern history of mankind.
Since that day, Palestinians have continuously been deprived of their right to self determination.
The Nakba day is met this year with a serious escalation of Israel’s acts of collective punishment of Palestinian civilians and systematic destruction of property, as well as financial sanctions against the Palestinian National Authority (PNA).
These have caused a severe deterioration in the living conditions and the security situation in the OPT.
The Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) has escalated their violations against Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip.
Indeed, violations have increased since the withdrawal from Gaza in September 2005.
The IOF have bombarded and destroyed numerous vital facilities, homes and other civilian premises.
According to the Center's investigations, since the September 2005, the IOF have destroyed 1,045 houses, leaving 68,788 Palestinian homeless.
They have also destroyed 75 public facilities, 52 privately-owned industrial and commercial enterprises, and 82 vehicles.
Further, they leveled 2,231 dunams of cultivated lands.
The IOF have also killed 580 Palestinians, including 118 minors.
Following the unilateral Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, the IOF have created and maintained a drastic breakdown in the Palestinian economy.
This has exacerbated the suffering of Palestinians, who have had to endure severe shortages of basic food stuffs, medicines, medical equipment and fuel.
The Karni Crossing, the sole crossing for importing and exporting goods, has been completely closed for 205 days, and partially closed for 370 days.
The Rafah Crossing has been completely closed for 297 days, and partially closed for 286 days.
The Erez Crossing is mostly open; however it is limited to the movement of internationals, foreign journalists, and Palestinians of humanitarian cases, including families of Palestinian detainees in Israeli jails.
Palestinian workers and passengers, as well as goods, are denied access through it.
The financial sanctions against the PNA have seriously increased Palestinians' suffering.
Israel continues to withhold taxes and customs revenues owed by Israel to the PNA.
This has led to a humanitarian disaster in Gaza where the rate of poverty rests at over 70%, and the rate of unemployment at over 40%.
Forced evictions represent another most blatant violation of international law, especially in the West Bank.
The construction of the Separation Wall continues with devastating implications on Palestinians life and livelihood.
Some 2,448 families (14,364 people) have been forcibly evicted from the areas designated for the wall's route or have been forced to move as a result of the wall separating them from there living resources.
The Wall has had serious impacts on civilians' access to education with 320 schools separated from residents.
In addition, some 220,000 people no longer have easy access to health services.
In the towns and villages around Jerusalem and Bethlehem, the Wall splits communities and prevents their natural urban expansion.
Moreover, the Wall has caused a collapse in the Palestinian agricultural sector.
The IOF have uprooted some 100,000 olive trees, confiscated 165,000 dunams (One dunam equals 1,000 square meters), leveled 230,000 dunams and isolated 238,000 dunams.
In 71 Palestinian villages, farmers were separated from their land stripping thousands of families from their income.
Israel also continues to exploit Palestinian natural resources, especially water, and cause damage to the Palestinian environment.
It has, furthermore, closed 1,702 Palestinian institutions.
More seriously, the wall has de facto split the West Bank into numerous separate strips hindering any opportunity for future settlement of the conflict with a sovereign Palestinian State.
Despite the Advisory Opinion of the International Court of Justice, of 9 July 2004, which asserted that the Wall was illegal and must be dismantled, the positions taken by the international community and the UN organs have fallen way short of the ruling's requirements; they have largely remained silent while Israel has taken steps that are unnecessary, disproportionate and non-discriminatory in the quest for ensuring its security.
Al Mezan Center for Human Rights condemns Israel's violations of human rights in the OPT.
The above mentioned facts constitute gross, systematic violations by Israel of its obligations under IHRL and IHL.
The Center therefore reminds the international community that the Palestinian cause is one of rights imbued with international legitimacy which must be internationally protected.
It calls on the international community to effectively intervene and shoulder the legal and moral responsibilities as required by international law, which prohibits the violation of the fundamental rights of civilians under occupation.
The international community is also called on to provide protection for civilians under the auspices of the United Nations as a first step towards the implementation of its resolutions concerning the Palestinians.
Al Mezan also calls on the international community to end its financial sanctions against the PNA, which have only aggravated the living conditions of the poorest and most vulnerable in OPT.
Further, the international community is called upon to pressure Israel to release the tax and custom funds it holds from the PNA.
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