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Welcome to this Week in Palestine, a service of the International Middle East Media Center, www.imemc.org, for October 11th, to the 17th, 2014.
This week Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas retreated his position on the need for elections, meanwhile Israeli attacks leave a child killed in the West Bank. These stories and more, coming up, stay tuned.
The Nonviolence Report
Let’s begin our weekly report as usual with the nonviolent activities organized in the West Bank. two civilians were injured many more others treated for the effects of tear gas inhalation when Israeli troops attacked anti wall protests organized on Friday in West Bank villages. IMEMC’s Majd Batjali with the details:
Protests were organized this Friday in the villages of Bil’in, Ni’lin and al Nabi Saleh, in central West Bank. In addition to the village of Al Ma’ssara in the southern part of the West Bank.
In Bil’in and Ni’lin, Israeli soldiers attacked the protesters as soon as they reached the gate of the wall that separates local farmers from their lands.
Troops stationed their attacked the villagers and their international and Israeli supporters with tear gas. In Bil’in two villagers sustained light wounds by Israeli troops rubber-coated steel bullets. Many protesters were treated for the effect of the tear gas inhalation in both villages.
At the nearby village of al Nabi Saleh, soldiers stop the protest before leaving the village. Later soldiers stormed the village and fired tear gas into residents’ homes causing damage.
In Al-Ma’asara village, Israeli troops stopped villagers and their supporters at the entrance of the village and forced them back, however, no injuries were reported.
For IMEMC News this is Majd Batjali.
The Political Report
Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas, emphasizes on the need for general elections that would lay the foundations for future politics in Palestine. IMEMC’s Rami Al Meghari has more:
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas insists that general elections in the occupied Palestinian territories, are the best means for laying out Palestinian politics in the future. Abbas also called for defending the holy Islamic shrine of Alaqsa mosque, in the face of attempts to judize the holy place.
In the meantime, the president emphasized on the need for going to the United Nations for demanding Palestinian people’s right to win a Palestinian statehood.
Abbas’s speech came in the backdrop of latest vote in the British parliemnet over recognition of a Palestinian state.
Meanwhile, France considered the recognition of a Palestinian state as a symbolic step that would not change the reality. France also expressed the willingness to recognize a Palestinian state, when the time is due.
Sweden had earlier recognized a Palestinian state on the 1967 borders. Also this week, world countries pledged a donation of 5.4 billion dollars , for the reconstruction of the war-torn Gaza Strip.
For IMEMC News, I am Rami Almeghari , in Gaza.
The West Bank and Gaza Report
This week Israeli troops killed a Palestinian child and left at least 20 other civilians injured during invasions targeting West Bank communities. IMEMC’s Eman Abedraboo-Bannoura reports:
This week Israeli forces conducted at least 37 military invasions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank. During these invasions Israeli troops kidnapped at least 27 Palestinians, including 3 children
On Thursday night, a Palestinian boy died of wounds he sustained during clashes with invading Israeli troops at the village of Beit Liqyia near the central west Bank city of Ramallah.
Bahha Samier Bader, 13 years old, was playing football with his friends when Israeli soldiers invaded Beit Liqyia and opened fire at random at residents and their homes. A live round fired by Israeli soldiers hit Bahha.
Medical sources announced that Bahha arrived at the Ramallah medical center after sustaining critical wounds and died shortly after.
Also on Thursday, Palestinian Authority security forces killed a 25-year-old man, during a raid in the southern West Bank city of Hebron.
Security officials told local news that clashes broke out as PA forces attempted to arrest several wanted men who had been hiding south of Hebron, in Area C. The wanted men reportedly opened fire at security forces during the raid, injuring seven security personnel, including one who is now in critical condition.
Earlier in the week, a young Palestinian man was shot and injured in his face during an Israeli military invasion, on Tuesday at dawn, into the al-Far’a refugee camp, near the northern West Bank city of Nablus.
Moreover local sources said that soldiers detonated main doors of a number of homes before invading them, and used several Palestinians as human shields while invading other homes in the refugee camp.
In Jerusalem this week, Israeli forces continued to close Al Aqsa mosque for Palestinian worshipers and allow radical settlers groups to storm the third holiest site for Muslims worldwide. During the clashes this week around 20 Palestinian civilians were injured by Israeli gunfire and scores surfed effects of tear gas inhalation.
For IMEMC News this is Eman Abedraboo-Bannoura.
Conclusion
And that’s all for today from This Week in Palestine. This was the Weekly report for October 11th, to the 17th, 2014. From the Occupied Palestinian Territories. For more news and updates please visit our website at www.imemc.org. This week’s report has been brought to you by George Rishmawi, and me Ghassan Bannoura.
