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Welcome to this Week in Palestine, a service of the International Middle East Media Center, www.imemc.org, for September 26th, to October 2nd, 2015.
This week Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas announced that Palestinian will stop honoring peace agreements if Israeli continue to violate them. Meanwhile settlers and army attacks targeting Palestinians escalate in Jerusalem and the West Bank 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. Three civilians were injured including a journalist meanwhile scores of protesters were treated for the effects of tear gas inhalation on Friday as Israeli troops attacked anti wall and settlements protests organized in West Bank villages. IMEMC’s Majd Batjali has more:
This week anti wall and settlements protests were organized in the central west Bank villages of Bil’in, Ni’lin, and al Nabi Saleh. In addition to the village of Kufer Qadum in northern West Bank. Israeli soldiers used live rounds, tear gas and rubber-coated steel bullets against the unarmed protesters.
Two protesters and a journalist were shot by Israeli troops live rounds and scores of civilians were treated for the effects of tear gas inhalation during the weekly protest in Kufer Kadum village. Later troops stormed the village and fired tear gas into residents’ homes. The three injured civilians were moved to Nablus hospital after sustaining moderate injuries in the legs, local sources reported.
In Bil’in and Ni’lin ,protesters managed to reach the Israeli wall. Meanwhile in al Nabi Saleh village, Israeli troops fired several rounds of rubber-coated steel bullets at the villagers as soon as they reached the village entrance. Many protesters were treated for the effects of tear gas inhalation at the three villages. In Bil’in olive tree caught fire caused by tear gas bombs fired by Israeli troops. Villagers managed to put off the fire after it destroyed a number of olive trees.
For IMEMC News this Majd Batjali.
The Political Report
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas declared this week that as long as Israel refuses to commit to the signed peace agreements, the Palestinians cannot continue to be bound by these agreements and Israel must assume all of its responsibilities as an occupying power. IMEMC’s George Rishmawi with the details:
In his speech at the United Nations General Assembly in New York, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said the Palestinian Authority cannot remain committed to peace accords signed with Israel as long as the Israeli government continues to violate these agreements and continues to escalate attacks against Palestinian civilians and build settlements.
Abbas stated that Israel insists on violating all signed peace agreements by refusing to stop its illegal construction and expansion of its colonies, in direct violation of International Law, in addition to refusing to release the Palestinian detainees, and refusing to end its daily invasions and assaults.
Abbas expressed the frustration the Palestinian People and Authority have of the peace process and said the role of the Palestinian Authority is to lead the Palestinian people to independence and liberty.
The Palestinian President demanded the world leaders to provide international protection for the Palestinian People from the Israeli ongoing violations and attacks against, land and people and property.
On the settler and military violations in Jerusalem, Abbas accused Israel of attempting to transform the conflict from a political national one to a religious one, which will lead the area into an endlessly escalating, explosive situation.
In his speech, Abbas has released the Palestinian Authority from its commitments to the Oslo Accords.
He said, “We, therefore, declare that we will not continue to be bound by these agreements and that Israel must assume all of its responsibilities as an occupying Power, because the status quo cannot continue and the decisions of the Palestinian Central Council last March are specific and binding.’
While he has very well expressed the hopes of the Palestinian people to end injustice, and suffering and Apartheid regime, Abbas failed to mention any mechanism or time frame of implementing this declaration which might have serious implications on the ground if officially implemented, he was satisfied by saying that the Palestinian Authority will work out the legal ways to do this.
For IMEMC News, this is George Rishmawi
The West Bank and Gaza Report
This week Israeli settlers escalated their attacks against Palestinian communities in the West Bank and holy sites in occupied Jerusalem. Meanwhile in Gaza a fighter is reported dead in a tunnel accident. IMEMC’s Eman Abedraboo-Bannoura reports:
On Thursday night and Friday at dawn, Israeli right wing settlers attacked Palestinian communities all over the West Bank. The attacks started shortly after unknown gunmen opened fire at a settlers car near Nablus in northern west Bank, killing the driver and his wife. Their children who were in the car escaped unharmed.
On Friday morning settlers armed groups set fire to a Palestinian car near the illegal settlement of Itamar near Nablus. Moreover a Palestinian house were stoned and sustained damage in the village of Bitiluo near Ramallah in central West Bank. The settlers also closed main entrances of villages in northern West Bank and near Hebron in the south. They also attacked Palestinian cars and homes close to the settlers roads, Palestinian sources reported.
A Palestinian officer was attacked by settlers near Nablus while driving back home to Hebron. The officer was moved to a nearby hospital for treatment. The Israeli army pushed more enforcements and announced Nablus a closed military zone. The army initiated a search campaign in nearby Palestinian communities looking for the shooters of the two settlers. Up until the time of this report no Palestinian group claimed responsibility for the attack.
Elsewhere, Israeli right wing groups guarded by Israeli troops continued to storm Al Aqsa compound in Jerusalem’s old city this week. Meanwhile Israeli troops closed the third holiest site for Muslims worldwide and only allow those who above the age of 50 to enter inside all week long.
The Israeli violations led to clashes all over Jerusalem and the West Bank. according to Palestinian sources at least 20 residents were injured in these clashes. More over Israeli troops searched and ransacked homes in Jerusalem and kidnaped at least 100 civilians from Jerusalem including 44 children. The Israeli army claimed that they took part in the clashes.
In the Gaza Strip this week, The Al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of the Hamas movement, has reported that one of its fighters was killed, Monday, while working in one of its border tunnels, and gave no further details.
later in the week, Israeli army tanks stationed along the borders with Gaza, bombarded on Wednesday four sites that are used by the Al Qassam brigades the armed wing of Hamas. According to media sources the sites were empty and that the bombing caused damage but no injuries.
The army claimed that the attack was in response to two homemade shells fired from Gaza on Tuesday late at night, and were destroyed by the iron dome defense system. No Palestinian group claimed responsibility for the two rockets.
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 September 26th, to October 2nd, 2015. 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 Maher Qasiess and me Ghassan Bannoura.
