Israeli forces shoot two Palestinians in occupied West Bank city of Jenin

Ramallah, February 2 (RHC)-- Israeli forces have shot and injured two Palestinian workers in the West Bank city of Jenin, as tensions continue to simmer in the occupied territories.  The Palestinian Information Center, quoting local sources, reported that Israeli forces opened live fire on two civilians while they were near the controversial “apartheid wall” close to Barta’a village, southwest of Jenin, on Monday.

Palestinians sources said one of the men sustained an injury to the foot and was taken to hospital for treatment, adding that Israeli forces are still holding the other.  Israel began building the barrier of walls and fences inside the occupied West Bank back in 2002. Tel Aviv argues that the project is aimed at preventing infiltration into the occupied territories, but Palestinians say the move is yet another violation of their rights and allows for further annexation of their land.

The barrier wall violates the basic rights of nearly a million Palestinians, forcing thousands of them to obtain special permits from Israeli forces to allow them to move between their homes and their lands.  The International Court of Justice said in an advisory opinion issued in 2004 that the "apartheid wall" violates international law and urged Israel to remove it from the occupied territories.

In a separate development on Monday, Israeli police arrested two Palestinian teenagers in the East Jerusalem al-Quds neighborhood of al-Tur.  Local sources said the boys, identified as 15-year-old Ismail Abu al-Hawa and Raed Al-Sayyad, 16, were detained after Israeli police raided their houses in al-Khalwa and Qa'a al-Hara districts, respectively.  Al-Tur residents suffer from continuous attacks by Israeli police and settlers.

More than 600,000 Israelis live in over 230 illegal settlements built since the 1967 Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories of the West Bank and East Jerusalem al-Quds.  The UN Security Council has condemned Israel’s settlement activities in the occupied territories in several resolutions.

According to human rights groups, incidents of sabotage and violence by extremist settlers against Palestinians and their property are a daily occurrence throughout the West Bank.