‘Azzun ‘Atmah, a village with 1,800 residents located southeast of Qalqiliya, lies three kilometers from the Green Line (Israel’s 1967 border). The settlement Sha’are Tikva was built just east of it, on lands belonging to residents of the village. The settlement breaks the territorial contiguity between the village and two neighboring villages, Beit Amin and Sanniriya. On its western border, the settlement Oranit was built. The separation barrier in this area was completed in October 2003. The barrier separates the village from the rest of the West Bank and places it in the “seam zone,” the area between the barrier and the Green Line. Read more about Enclosing the village of 'Azzun 'Atmah 

In his comments to the Editors Committee on 7 December 2006, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert stated that, “Since June, more than 400 members of terrorist organizations have been killed.” According to B’Tselem’s data, from the time of the abduction of Cpl. Gilad Shalit, on 26 June, to 15 November, the IDF has killed 387 Palestinians. More than half of the persons killed, 206, among them eighty-one minors and forty-five women, were not taking part in the hostilities when they were killed. Four of the remaining fatalities were the object of targeted killings, and 177 were killed while taking part in the hostilities. Read more about Is every Palestinian in the Gaza Strip a terrorist? 

Until May 2002, citizens and residents of Israel (including residents of East Jerusalem) married to residents of the Occupied Territories could request a legal status in Israel for their spouse and that their children be registered in their identity cards and as residents of Israel. In May 2002, the government of Israel decided to freeze the handling of requests by Israeli residents for family unification with Palestinians from the Occupied Territories. The interpretation given the law by the Interior Ministry - denies many children, those with one parent who is a resident of Israel and the other a resident of the Occupied Territories, the possibility of obtaining a permanent status in Israel. Read more about Interior Ministry denies status to children of East Jerusalem residents 

During the early hours of Wednesday, November 8, Israeli soldiers killed five Palestinians in the village of Al-Yamun , in the Jenin district. B’Tselem’s investigation into the killing of two of the men reveals a very different picture than that suggested by the Spokesperson. Salim Abu al-Heijah and Mahmoud Abu Hassan, who were wanted by Israeli security forces, were wounded, but managed to escape from the initial encounter with the soldiers, and sought refuge in the home of the Kabala family. While they awaited an ambulance, three soldiers arrived in a jeep. The soldiers ordered the family to gather in the courtyard. Read more about Grave suspicion of extrajudicial execution of two wounded Palestinians 

Israeli artillery shells struck a residential neighborhood in Beit Hanun, Gaza Strip, early Wednesday morning, killing 18 civilians, including 7 minors, and wounding some 40 others. The Israeli military contended that the artillery fire was aimed at the place from which Qassam rockets were fired at Ashkelon yesterday, an area about half a kilometer from where the shells actually landed. The IDF said that human or technical error caused the shells to strike the houses. The Minister of Defense has ordered an investigation into the incident. Read more about B'Tselem: The Killing of Civilians in Beit Hanun is a War Crime  

On October 30, Israel’s Prime Minister Ehud Olmert reportedly told the Knesset Security and Foreign Affairs Committee that in the past three months, the Israeli military has killed 300 “terrorists” in the Gaza Strip in its war against terror groups. According to B’Tselem’s investigation, the IDF did indeed kill 294 Palestinians in Gaza since the abduction of Cpl. Gilad Shalit on June 26 and until October 27. However, over half of those killed - 155 people, including 61 children - did not participate in the fighting when they were killed. This in addition to the 137 who were killed while taking part in hostilities, and another two who were the targets of a targeted killing. Read more about Who does the Israeli Prime Minister consider to be a terrorist? 

Today (Thursday, October 26), Hashem Abu-Akel from the Tel Rumeida neighborhood of Hebron went to harvest his olive trees. Usually settlers prevent him from reaching these trees, so Abu-Akel coordinated his arrival in advance with Israeli security forces. Some 20 minutes before Abu-Akel was to begin work, the soldiers had yet to arrive. B’Tselem called the Israeli DCO in Hebron to warn them that Abu-Akel had no escort. The Deputy Head of the DCO promised that representatives of the Israeli Civil Administration would come to the grove. Read more about Settlers attack Palestinian olive harvesters, soldiers stand by 

Israel holds in prison more than 9,000 Palestinians from the West Bank and Gaza Strip. The vast majority are held in prisons situated inside Israel’s sovereign territory, and not in the Occupied Territories. Holding these prisoners and detainees in Israel flagrantly breaches international humanitarian law, which prohibits the transfer of civilians, including detainees and prisoners, from the occupied territory to the territory of the occupying state. Read more about Barred from Contact: Violation of the Right to Visit Palestinians Held in Israeli Prisons 

Undoubtedly, the State of Israel has the right to protect the lives of its citizens from threat, including, the threat posed by Qassam rockets fired from the Gaza Strip. However, not all means of response and action are permissible. Aiming attacks at civilian objects is forbidden under International Humanitarian Law and is considered a war crime. The power plant bombed by Israel is a purely civilian object and bombing it did nothing to impede the ability of Palestinian organizations to fire rockets into Israeli territory. Read more about Act of Vengeance: Israel's Bombing of the Gaza Power Plant and its Effects