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This Week in
On Palestinian Prisoner’s Day, thousands come out to show their support of the 9,400 illegally detained in Israeli jails. Fifteen-year-old Mamdouh Obaid is killed when shells a playground. intensifies military attacks against Palestinian cities in the wake of a Tel Aviv suicide bombing. These stories and more, coming up. Stay tuned.
Palestinian Prisoner’s Day
Thousands filled the streets of the West Bank and
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Israeli High Court Votes in Favor of Wall
This Wednesday, the Israeli High Court of Justice ruled in favor of completing the annexation wall around
On Friday, four hundred protesters, including seventy Israeli and international peace activists, marched in Bil’in to protest the annexation Wall and the ongoing siege and aid freeze. In a street theater piece, protesters wearing flags of , the , the , the European Union and the United Nations carried a large metal ring to symbolize the siege imposed over the
Tel Aviv Bombing
On Monday afternoon a young Palestinian man detonated a bomb at a Shawarma stand near the old central bus station. Along with the bomber, nine Israelis were killed and thirty-two more seriously injured. Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility for the attack, saying it was in response to the killings in the Palestinian territories. The bomber was identified as Sami Sameeh Hamad, age 22, from the
Israeli Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz said that in response, the Israeli military would resume military operations against Islamic Jihad. The Israeli air force then shelled a building in
Also in response to the bombing, the Israeli cabinet decided to divide the
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas denounced the bombing as a despicable act that harms the Palestinian struggle. The Popular Resistance Committees and the Al-Aqsa Martyr Brigades demanded that Abbas apologize for his statement.
The UN Security Council will soon convene to discuss both the bombing and ’s ongoing military aggression in the Palestinian territories.
PCHR in Brief
And now, highlights from the
After the Tel Aviv bombing, the Israeli government took a number of measures against Palestinian civilians, including cutting the West Bank in half; denying Palestinian workers access to jobs in ; and increasing extra-judicial executions in violation of the Fourth Geneva Convention.
On Monday evening, Mamdouh ‘Obaid, 15 years old, was killed when the Israeli military shelled a playground in northern
The shelling is part of an overall targeting of
And in the West Bank, the Israeli military continued to target
On Thursday in Nablus Soldiers arrested two mothers of those on their wanted lists in an attempt to force the men to hand themselves in. One of the two women arrested was taken to an Israeli hospital suffering a suspected miscarriage, after losing consciousness. Her exact condition and whereabouts are unknown. The other woman who has a serious heart condition was released one day after her arrest. She describes her ordeal
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"At two am my son opened the door; soldiers entered and started to wreck the house during their search. They turned the couches over shouting and ordered me to sit down and not move, they said my son Sofian is a terrorist, and gave me a cell phone to speak to their commander, he asked me the whereabouts of my son, I told him I did not know.
He told me to give the cell phone back to the soldiers, on leaving they said to my other son we want to arrest your mum, he said take me not her. They said no only her, they did not allow me to cover my self, but I managed to grab something before being arrested."
This week alone, 31 Palestinians were wounded and one child died from a rubber-coated bullet shot at his head from close range.
The military also continued its siege on the
Ongoing Financial Crisis of the Palestinian Government
As the and European Union declare an aid freeze on the Palestinian government, Islamic and Arab countries have promised enough aid to pay the salaries of the PA’s 140,000 governmental employees that have been withheld for the last three months due to the freeze. The withheld salaries sustain one third of the Palestinian population.
The UN has warned repeatedly that Palestinians in the West Bank and
The Hamas-led Palestinian government inherited Fatah-led government’s debt of $1.3 billion. On top of that, has suspended $55 million in monthly tax transfers, and the and the European Union have cut aid until Hamas recognizes and disbands its military wing.
To protest the aid suspension, a number of British human rights organizations have sent an urgent message to the European Union and the British government, requesting they immediately reverse the freeze, calling it "an act of gross inhumanity and political provocation." Signatories of the letter said the continuation of aid suspension would aggravate the human, security, and economic sectors of Occupied Palestine.
The Arab Monetary Fund and four other Arab funds wrapped up a two-day annual meeting in
Conclusion
And that’s just some of the news this week in
