Palestinian Affairs Department’s report details widespread Israeli violations

AMMAN — Three people were killed and 64 wounded in the occupied Palestinian territories in August, majority of them in the Gaza Strip, as a result of continuous Israeli violations, the Department of Palestinian Affairs said.

The occupation forces also arrested 381 Palestinians in August, according to the department’s monthly report on the occupation forces' violations against Palestinian land, its people and holy sites.

The report also revealed a total of 319 Israeli incursions occurred in August: 316 in the West Bank and three in the Gaza Strip, 33 incursions in Jerusalem, 54 in Ramallah, 34 in Jenin, 10 in Toubas, 24 in Tulkarem, 16 in Qalqilya, 38 in Nablus, 17 in Salfit, eight in Jericho, 30 in Bethlehem, 52 in Hebron, one in northern Gaza, one in Khan Younis and one in Rafah.

The Israeli forces also carried out systematic violations against Islamic and Christian holy sites in the occupied Palestinian territories, where Islamic holy sites in the West Bank's witnessed 22 attacks by the occupation army and settlers, including assaults on Al Aqsa Mosque, notably holding Jewish rituals and attacking the mosque's guards.

A total of 2,032 settlers took part in these assaults, the report added, revealing that the reported violations also included the closure of a mosque in Beit Sahour and preventing citizens from performing prayers inside the mosque, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported. 

The Israeli authorities also continued their racist policies against the Palestinians, confiscating their lands. A total of 40 illegal demolitions were registered in the West Bank and Jerusalem in August, in addition to demolitions of structures by Palestinian owners themselves to avoid paying hefty fines.

The report showed that Israeli authorities approved a number of settlement projects aimed at establishing the settler presence in a number of cities, primarily Jerusalem, as the occupation municipality has approved a plan to establish an additional 90-donum settlement in the eastern side of the Issawiya village.

The occupation authorities have approved projects to build a settlement road linking the Industrial Zone of Benjamin with the Industrial Zone of Aterot, north of Jerusalem, which passes through a 600-metre tunnel under the Qalandia military checkpoint, along with constructing another road running from the Adam Settlement, until the Hazma military checkpoint northeast of Jerusalem, and the Al Walaja bypass south of Jerusalem to link the Gush Etzion settlement bloc with Jerusalem, a move aimed at expanding the Har Homa settlement through building 560 new settler units, according to the report.