Welcome to this Week in Palestine, a service of the International Middle East Media Center, www.imemc.org, for February 18, to the 24, 2017.
While Israel’s army escalate home demolishing in the West Bank and attacks targeting Gaza fishermen this week, the one state solution to the conflicts heads the national debate among Palestinians. 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 protesters were injured one detained on Friday when Israeli troops attacked anti-wall and settlements protests organized in West Bank villages. IMEMC’s Majd Batjali has more:
Protests were organized this week at the villages of Bil’in and Ni’lin in central West Bank. Anti-wall and settlements protests were also organized in the northern West Bank village of Kufer Qadum.
Two villagers were injured by rubber-coated steel bullets and scores others were treated for the effects of tear gas inhalation in Kufer Qadum, when Israeli troops attacked the weekly protest. Later troops stormed the village and fired tear gas at residents homes causing damage. Soldiers also abducted an Israeli supporter during the nonviolent protest.
At the villages of Bil’in, and Ni’lin, residents and their supporters reached the Israeli wall. Soldiers stationed their showered them with tear gas and rubber-coated steel bullets. Many were treated for the effects of tear gas inhalation.
For IMEMC News this is Majd Batjali
The Political Report
This week, the one-state vs two-state solution unofficial debate is ongoing in Palestine following Trump’s statement last week, more Palestinians seem to be supporting a one-state solution of the conflict, IMEMC’s George Rishmawi with the details:
The talk about the one-state or two-state solution for the Palestine-Israel conflict is still going on, a week after the controversial statements made by the U.S. president Donald Trump during his press conference with the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Several Palestinian politicians and activists expressed their disappointment of Trumps comments, although some saw in his comments as a way to establish a One-Democratic-State to end the conflict.
Residents of the Palestinian city of Ramallah were surprised to see a billboard on one of the busiest entrances of the city reading “If I am to choose between one or two states, I choose one state.”
According to Palestinian security sources, the billboard, which is located in an area under full Israeli control, carries no sign of identification of those who put it up.
In the meantime, Ahmad Bahar, deputy chair of the Palestinian Legislative Council, affiliated with Hamas, said the talk about two-states solution is an illusion. He explained that in light of the Israeli settlement expansion which covers nearly 60% of the West Bank area, there is no way for a two-state solution to be implemented.
Bahar demanded the Palestinian Authority in Ramallah to immediately stop the security coordination with Israel.
In an interview with Rueters on Thursday, Trump said he likes the two-state solution, but affirmed his statement in his presser with Netanyahu that he ultimately likes what the both parties like, standing short of a full throated support of any solution.
It has to be noted that Palestinians have a different understanding of the one-state than what Netanyahu has in mind. Most Palestinian supporters of the one-state solution want it to be a one-democratic-state for all its residents, regardless of their race or religion, while Netanyahu insists to demand Palestinians to recognize Israel as a Jewish state, which indicates that his vision to a one-state is a Jewish state.
For IMEMC News, this is George Rishmawi
The West Bank and Gaza Report
Israeli attacks targeting Gaza and the West Bank leave two injured children and one fisherman this week. IMEMC’s Ghassan Bannoura Reports:
A Palestinian teenager was injured, Friday, after being hit by a live round in his foot during clashes that erupted between local youth and Israeli troops near the central Gaza Strip borders with Israel. Local youth were protesting the 11 years long Israel’s siege on Gaza.
Also on Friday eight Palestinian workers were injured while working inside a tunnel at the Gaza-Egyptian borders. The workers were repairing a tunnel that was flooded with sewage water by the Egyptian army when all eight suffered effects of suffocation due to a gas leak and fumes, local sources reported.
Earlier in the week a navy attack targeting Palestinian fishermen off Gaza city shoreline left one fishermen critically injured on Tuesday. Israeli navy attacks targeting Gaza fishermen were also reported on Monday, Thursday and Friday of this week.
Elsewhere, a Palestinian 15 year old child was injured on Friday when a bomb left by the Israeli army exploded near him in Yatta area in the southern part of the West Bank. The boy was moved to a hospital in the nearby Hebron city after sustaining moderate wounds, local sources reported.
Also this week, Israeli troops escalated its campaign to demolish Palestinian homes all over the West Bank this week. On Thursday, Israeli troops invaded several residential communities in Masafer Yatta area, south of the southern West Bank city of Hebron, and delivered around 30 demolition orders to residents. The orders include a school, residential sheds and tents, barns, and a water well.
Moreover, Israeli forces demolished on Wednesday a Palestinian home at the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Beit Hanina, local sources reported. Troops and officers of the Israeli Jerusalem municipality stormed the area at around five in the morning forced the Abu Rimouz family out of their homes at gunpoint, then municipality bulldozers demolished the house. The family of seven, including five children, are now left without any shelter, local sources reported.
In related news, The Israeli High Court authorized, Thursday, the demolition of the family home of Fadi Ahmad al-Qanbar, who was killed six weeks ago, after ramming and killing four Israeli soldiers in Jerusalem. The court said that the demolition was an “acceptable punishment,” and alleged that al-Qanbar family “knew about his intentions before he carried out the attack.”
On Monday, Israeli military bulldozers destroyed a drinking water pipeline that was funded by The United Nations International Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in the Central Plains of the occupied West Bank. The pipeline provided clean drinking water to 47 families, and extended on 8.5 kilometers.
During this week, Israeli forces conducted at least 65 military invasions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank including Jerusalem. During these invasions troops abducted at least 72 Palestinian civilians, including 10 children.
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 February 18, to the 24, 2017. 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 Sa’ed Naji and me Eman Abedraboo-Bannoura.
