Audio Link After TextWelcome to this Week in Palestine, a service of the International Middle East Media Center, www.imemc.org, for March 19, to the 25, 2016.
The UN bans international companies from doing business with Israeli settlements, meanwhile Israeli troops kill three Palestinian youth in separate attacks this week. 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. scores of protesters were treated for the effects of tear gas inhalation on Friday as Israeli forces attacked nonviolent protests organized in West Bank villages. IMEMC’s Majd Batjali with the details:
Many residents and their international and Israeli supporters were treated for the effects of tear gas inhalation when soldiers attacked the weekly protest in the central West Bank village of al Nabi Saleh on Friday.
Troops attacked the protest at the village entrance using live rounds, tear gas and rubber-coated steel bullets. Later troops stormed and fired tear gas at residents homes, many residents were treated for the effects of tear gas inhalation as a result.
At the nearby villages of Bil’in and Ni’lin, Israeli soldiers attacked the protesters as soon as they reached the gate in the wall that separates local farmers from their lands. Many protesters suffered the effects of tear gas inhalation and were treated by field medics at both locations. In Bil’in some olive treats caught fire that was caused by tear gas bombs fired by Israeli troops.
In the meantime many civilians also were treated for the effects of tear gas inhalation as Israeli troops attacked the weekly protest organized by the villagers of Kufer Kadum in northern West Bank.
For IMEMC News this Majd Batjali.
The Political Report
Human Rights Council in Geneva passes a resolution, pertaining to Israeli illegal settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories. Meanwhile, Palestinian Authority condemns an Israeli bill against Palestinians. IMEMC’s Rami Al Meghari has more:
Palestinians welcomed this week, a new resolution by the United Nations’ Human Rights Council.
The resolution, voted for by more than 30 countries, states that all business transactions between world companies and Israeli settlements are banned, given the fact that those settlements are located on occupied Palestinian territories.
It also includes an article that all forms of business companies, belonging to the settlements , should be put in a ‘ black list’. so that any future transactions , could be banned.
US Secretary of States , Jhon Kerry, tried in a phone conversation, with Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas, to convince Palestinian of removing the article regarding ‘ black list’, but in vain.
Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamine Natanyahou, slammed the new UN vote and called, instead, for passing some other resolutions against terrorism.
According to international law and UN’s resolutions, settlements are illegal for they are built on Palestinian lands that Israel occupied in 1967. UN recognizes those lands as the future Palestinian state.
In the meantime, top Palestinian negotiator, Saeb Eriqat, condemned underway Israeli parliament’s discussions of a new bill against Palestinians. The bill calls for the expulsion of Palestinian families from the West Bank and East Jerusalem, whose members are accused by Israel of carrying out attacks against Israelis.
In other news, Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas, met in the West Bank city of Ramallah, with Jordanian Foreign Minister, Naser Jouda.
They both discussed bilateral Jordanian-Palestinian relations and pointed out that they agree on installing surveillance cameras, inside the Alaqsa Mosque compound, where Jordan is supervising the holly Islamic shrine, for decades.
The planned installation is meant to monitor Israeli violations there , particularly frequent provocative visits by Jewish elements.
For IMEMC News, I am Rami Almeghari in Gaza.
The West Bank and Gaza Report
This week, Three Palestinian youth were killed by Israeli gunfire in separate attacks in the West Bank, meanwhile in Gaza, Navy and tanks attack farmers and fishermen. IMEMC’s Ghassan Bannoura reports:
Israeli soldiers shot and killed, on Thursday morning, two young Palestinian men, in the southern West Bank city of Hebron, allegedly after they attacked Israeli soldiers, mildly wounding one.
According to the army, Ramzi Qasrawi, and Abdul-Fattah Sharif, both 21, were shot dead after they tried to stab Israeli troops manning a checkpoint in Tin Tal Romeida neighborhood in Hebron old city. a video by the Israeli Human rights group B’Tsalem, was published on social media, shows that Qasrawi and Sharif were wounded and on the ground as Israeli medics and soldiers denied them medical care.
The video also shows one soldier approach the wounded Palestinian and shoot him in the head from close range killing him as he laid on the ground causing no threat to anyone. Eyewitnesses said the soldiers opened fire at random, wounding several Palestinians who were walking in the area during the reported attack. It is worth mentioning that the army has killed 61 Palestinian, in Hebron, since October 1st, 2015.
Earlier in the week, also in Hebron old city, Israeli soldiers shot and killed 16 year old Abdullah Ajlouni. The child was left bleeding to death. The Israeli army claimed that he was holding a knife and walking towards an army checkpoint in al-Shuhada Street.
Moreover, Israeli forces conducted at least 86 military invasions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank and occupied East Jerusalem. During these invasions, Israeli troops kidnapped at least 61 Palestinian civilians, including 7 children.
Also this week, sraeli soldiers invaded, on Tuesday morning, Beit Hanina neighborhood, north of occupied East Jerusalem, and demolished a large Palestinian mobile home, allegedly built without a construction permit. The soldiers surrounded the neighborhood before invading it, and demolished the property, only two days after the City Council issued the demolition order.
On Monday, a Palestinian family from Ras al-‘Amoud in Silwan town, in occupied Jerusalem, had to demolish its home, to avoid the excessively high fines, and fees, Israel imposes on the families after demolishing their homes.
In Gaza, Several Israeli army vehicles, including military bulldozers, carried out on Monday morning a limited invasion into an area, east of Beit Hanoun, in the northern part of the coastal enclave. Israeli tanks invaded the same areas on Thursday and opened fire at residents homes causing damage.
On Friday, Israeli navy ships opened fire at Palestinian fishing boats docked at Gaza city shoreline. Damage was reported but no injuries.
For IMEMC News this is Ghassan Bannoura.
Conclusion
And that’s all for today from This Week in Palestine. This was the Weekly report for March 19, to the 25, 2016. From the Occupied Palestinian Territories. For more news and updates please visit our website at www-dot-imemc-dot-org, This week’s report has been brought to you by George Rishmawi and me Eman Abedraboo- Bannoura.
