RAMALLAH, 20 October 2007 — The acts of violence committed by Jewish settlers and Israeli security forces against Palestinians have been on the rise since settlers took over a Palestinian building in the West Bank city of Hebron in March, a joint report released yesterday by the Israeli human rights groups of B’Tselem and the Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI) revealed.

According to the study, the Palestinian residents suffering from most of the acts of violence are those living in the Al-Ras neighborhood, near the location of the new Israeli settlement establishment around a house, which settlers claim they purchased lawfully, while a Palestinian man claims to be the rightful owner of the property.

In the months that have passed since then, despite the decision of the Israeli Defense Minister at the time to evacuate the settlement, the settlement has grown. Recently, the settlement was connected to the electricity grid, and construction and renovation work is taking place at the site.

The report includes dozens of violent incidents such as beating, vandalizing property, hurling stones, urinating from the settlement’s rooftops and verbal violence, which take place in front of members of the Israeli security forces, who mostly fail to respond.

The study states that the establishment of the new settlement also resulted in erecting new roadblocks in the area and additional travel restrictions on the movement of the Palestinians, which was very limited even before the incident.

The two organizations expressed their fear that the new settlement would cause the Palestinian residents to leave the nearby neighborhood, as this has happened in other neighborhoods in the city. The report also details dozens of violent acts against Palestinian residents committed by members of the Israeli security forces, mainly Border Guard officers.

Meanwhile, the Israeli Army’s Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi decided to rebuke the commander of former West Bank Division, Brig. Gen. Yair Golan, and to freeze his promotion, due to the findings of a Israeli military police investigation launched following various reports of the use the “human shield procedure” in the West Bank, Israeli Army Radio reported yesterday.

During the procedure, Palestinians are asked to try and convince neighboring wanted Palestinian gunmen to give themselves up. According to the report, Golan was a leading candidate to soon receive the rank of major general, and he was linked with the role of the Israeli prime minister’s military secretary. But his promotion was put on hold until the investigation ends.

The investigation is focused on operation “Hot Winter” carried out by the Israeli forces in Nablus in April. Israeli investigators are checking to see whether soldiers used Palestinian civilians as human shields. A video clip from the Associated Press shows soldiers leading a Palestinian to a home with their weapons pointed at him.