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April 21st, 2016 
Awake Goy Days of Palestine, West Bank –Israeli occupation closed down about 35 Palestinian quarries in West Bank last month, confiscated millions of dollars’ worth of equipment, HRW said on Thursday.
“The crackdown, which has paralysed the quarries, puts the livelihoods of up to 3,500 workers at risk and highlights the discriminatory nature of Israeli rules for Palestinian quarries, which have been unable to obtain new licenses for more than 20 years,” a statement by the Human Rights Watch (HRW) said.
According to the statement, the Israeli military authorities closed the quarries near the village of Beit Fajar on March 21, four days after a reported stabbing of Israeli soldier in the area.
“The timing of the closures and their multiple nature also raise concerns that it may be an act of collective punishment, which international law forbids,” the statement explained.
“The Israeli military has promised to facilitate Palestinian economic development, but instead it is choking a Palestinian-run industry in the West Bank while promoting the same industry in Israeli settlements,” said Sari Bashi, Israel and Palestine director at HRW.
No permits
“Justifying the closures, the Israeli military, which has ruled the occupied West Bank for nearly 50 years, told HRW in a letter that the quarries were operating without permits and posed safety and environmental hazards.
“However, since 1994, the military has systematically refused to issue permits for Palestinian quarries, even as it allocated large swaths of land in the West Bank for quarries in Israeli settlements operating in violation of international law.”
HRW explained: “Issuing permits for Palestinian quarries, and then enforcing reasonable safety and environmental standards, is the way to address any safety or environmental concerns, rather than arbitrarily denying permits and then shutting down unlicensed quarries.”
It added: “The timing of the closures raises concerns that the Israeli authorities may be punishing village residents for acts they did not commit.”
Collective punishment
The human rights organisation said that the Israeli occupation authorities stole millions of USD worth equipment from the Palestinian queries.
“The military raided the Palestinians quarries, confiscating millions of dollars’ worth of equipment,” HRW said, noting that the last time the military raided quarries and confiscated equipment in the area was on November 25, 2015.
Referring to reported an Israeli female settler expected to be killed by a Palestinians, the organisation said: “The killing of a passerby is a serious crime whose perpetrator should be held accountable. However, Israeli authorities must not punish those who had nothing to do with it.”
Regarding the timing, the military authorities said “the operation was carried out once all conditions for its execution were in place, including resource availability and as per priorities.”
It also said: “International humanitarian law, applicable in occupied territory, forbids punishing people for acts they did not commit and requires Israel to facilitate normal civilian life for Palestinians to the extent possible, including economic development.”
Source Article from http://www.daysofpalestine.com/news/hrw-quarry-shutdown-harms-palestinians/
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