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55 have no family at all. The remaining 3,042 children have either one single parent or only
extended family. At the time of the writing of the present report, the Hebron Islamic Charitable
Society has no contingency plans for shelter or humanitarian assistance for these children, should
they be forcibly evicted. On 7 April, the Israeli High Court of Justice temporarily suspended the
implementation of the order until further hearing and gave the Israeli security forces an indefinite
time to provide a legal justification for closure. Given the vulnerability of the affected persons,
most of whom are children, the humanitarian and human rights implications of the charity’s
closure could be particularly severe.
51. In relation to the right to an adequate standard of living, notably adequate housing, a
number of house demolitions and evictions across the West Bank occurred during the reporting
period. In March, the Israeli Defence Forces destroyed residential and animal structures as well
as farm equipment in the Jordan Valley, Qalqilya, Jericho, Hebron and Jerusalem districts,
leaving a total of 131 people homeless. The affected communities include: al-Hadidiya and
Frush Beit Dajan in the Jordan Valley; Al-Jiftlik in Jericho; Arab ar-Ramadin63 and
Izbit At-Tabib64 in Qalqilia; Ad Deirat, Umm Lasafa, Qaqawia and Imneizel settlement in
Hebron; and finally Hizma, Al Jib and Anata in Jerusalem. In April, one house was
demolished in the village of Anata in the Jerusalem area. The house, which was home to a
family of 12 members, including 5 children, had been demolished in December 2005, and was
rebuilt by international volunteers in 2007.
52. In relation to the prohibition of torture, on 26 February 2008, Palestinian human rights
organizations65 and the Palestinian Independent Commission for Citizens’ Rights (PICCR) called
for independent investigations into the death of Sheikh Majid 'Abdul 'Aziz Mustafa al-Barghouti,
a 44-year-old, who died on 22 February, while being detained by the Palestinian Authority’s
General Intelligence Service (GIS) in Ramallah. Reportedly, he had been arrested on
14 February, by four masked men when he emerged from a local mosque. The forensic medical
report, ordered by the Palestinian Attorney General, called the sudden death “natural” and listed
the cause of death as heart failure, due to an abnormally enlarged heart. It was alleged that there
was evidence “including photographs” indicating that prior to his death, he had been subjected to
torture and ill-treatment, and that he might also have been a victim of medical negligence during
his detention. On 3 April 2008, a fact-finding mission formed by the Palestinian Legislative
63
See also: OCHA Weekly Report (12-18 March 2008), http://www.ochaopt.org/documents/
WBN251.pdf.
64
Stop The Wall, Briefing: 12.03.08, Continuous demolitions in Jordan Valley and Qalqilia
district require international action.
65
Report, United Against Torture Coalition, 3 March 2008; Al Haq: the findings of the PLC
investigating the death of Majd abdel Aziz Bhargouthi must be implemented, 10 April 2008,
http://www.alhaq.org/etemplate.php?id=360; PCHR, 26 February 2008, http://www.emhrn.net/
pages/512/news/focus/51380.
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