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Welcome to this Week in Palestine, a service of the International Middle East Media Center, www.imemc.org, for October 13th to 19th, 2012
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas blamed Israeli prime minister for failing to restart negotiations between Israel and Palestinians meanwhile Israeli forces conducted at least 40 military incursions into Palestinian communities these stories and more, coming up, stay tuned.
The Nonviolent Report
Let’s us begin our weekly report with nonviolent activities organized in West Bank. eight local youth were injured this week by Israeli troops who suppressed anti wall protests in a number of villages. IMEMC’s Ghassan Bannoura has more:
This week anti wall protests were reported in Kufer Kadum village, northern West Bank, and the central West Bank villages of Bil’in , Nil’in and Al Nabi Saleh as well as the southern West Bank village of Al Ma’ssara near Bethlehem city.
In Kufer Kadum, villagers and their supporters marched up to the Israeli military road block that cuts the village from the outside world and demanded its removal. Troops stationed their fired tear gas at them, no injuries were reported.
Elsewhere three Palestinian youth were injured by rubber-coated steel bullets fired by Israeli troops at Nabi Saleh villagers and their supporters. This week representatives from Martin Luther king assisiation joined Nabi Saleh villagers and marched under the title of “ We Have a Dream”.
Israeli soldiers stopped protesters at the village entrance and fired rubber-coated steel bullets as well as tear gas at them injuring the three young men. Moreover many were treated for the effects of tear gas inhalation, mostly women and children, when troops invaded the village and fired tear gas at residents’ homes.
At the nearby Nil’in and Bil’in villages soldiers attacked the protest as soon at reached the annexation wall with tear gas, rubber coated steel bullets and chemical water. In Bil’in one teenager was lightly wounded. In Nil ‘in The protest ended with clashes between local youth and troops; no injuries were reported.
In southern West Bank, at the village entrance of Al Ma’ssara, Israeli troops forced anti wall protesters back into the village using rifle-buts and batons. No injuries were reported.
Earlier in the week Four Palestinians were injured, on Tuesday, after the Israeli army attacked nonviolent protesters at the Latrun-Jerusalem Road (Jerusalem-Tel Aviv Road), north of occupied East Jerusalem, referred to by Israel as Road #443.
Among the wounded was Ashraf Abu Rahma was violently attacked by the soldiers and was kidnapped after he was wounded. The nonviolent procession was held to protest the ongoing and escalating attacks carried out by extremist Israeli settlers against Palestinians, their orchards, farmlands and holy sites.
For IMEMC News this is Ghassan Bannoura.
The West Bank & Gaza Report
Israeli continued its bombardment targeting the Gaza Strip while in the west Bank Israeli forces conducted at least 40 military incursions into Palestinian communities. During these incursions, Israeli troops arrested at least 18 Palestinians, including 3 children. IMEMC’s Rory Stewart Has more
On Thursday an Israeli F-16 fighter jet fired one missile into the former Third Platoon security base, north of Ash-Shuhada junction, south of Gaza City. One hour after the first strike, the army fired another missile into the base, extensive damage was caused by both strikes, and fortunately there were no reported casualties.
On Wednesday at dawn, the Israeli Air Force carried out two strikes targeting centers used by fighters of the armed wing of the Hamas movement, known as the Al-Qassam Brigades. The shelling led to excessive damage but no injuries.
Also in Gaza, Israeli naval gunboats fired dozens of rounds of live ammunition at Palestinian fishing boats along the Gaza Coast, and the Central coastal region; no damages or injuries were reported.
The Israeli military continues to conduct illegal operations throughout the West Bank. In the South- Hebron and Bethlehem where subjected to a series of invasions by Israeli security personal. The Northern city of Jenin was also targeted by Israeli military personal who conducted illegal raids and home invasions.
Meanwhile groups of armed extremist settlers uprooted 20 olive trees and 15 grape trees that belong to the residents of Al-Khader town, southern West Bank. The land in question is close to the illegal Israeli settlement of Efrat, which built on land that still belong to residents of Al-Khader.
Farmers say the land has been repeatedly targeted by these settler groups, once more the owners of these orchards have been prevented from taking action and entering their own premises as the security personal demand a special permit, obtainable only from the military.
Tuesday, Jerusalem, Israeli soldiers demolished a Palestinian home and a shed in Beit Hanina, in occupied East Jerusalem, the Quds Media Center reported.
The Jerusalem Municipality claims that the building was originally the property of a Palestinian from the occupied West Bank, therefore, according to Israeli law, “the property is considered to be absentee property”, and will be confiscated by Israel under the so-called “Absentee Property Law”.
For IMEMC News this is Rory Stewart.
The Political Report
In an interview with Yediout Ahronot Hebrew newspaper, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas blamed Israeli prime minister for failing to restart negotiations between Israel and Palestinians. Meanwhile, Jewish-American lingusit Naom Chomesky is visiting the Gaza Strip along with an academic delegation, the details and more with IMEMC’s Rami Almeghari
Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas puts much of the blame for the failure of peace talks on Israeli prime minister Benjamin Natanyahou. Abbas says in an interview with the Hebrew newspaper, Yideout Ahronot that the reason for stalled peace talks is Natanyahou’s insistance on resuming negotiations from Zero-ground. He added that the Palestinian demand has been clear; negotiations should start from the point they were stalled at, mainly halting settlement building on occupied Palestinian territories.
The president also maintained that the prime minister’s policies have hampered the two-state-solution, envisoned by Washington in 2008, when the talks halted.
In the Gaza Strip, preperations are underway for the first visit by Arab leader to the territory since Israel has enforced a blockade in 2007, when Hamas took over the region. Hamas officials announced that Crown prince of Qatar, Hamad Bin Khalifa Al Thani, is visiting the Strip along with his his wife Sheikha Mouza and some other high-ranking officials. The visit, delayed for security considerations in Gaza, will be to announce reconstruction projects for the war-torn Gaza.
Meanwhile, Palestinian prime minister of Hamas, said earlier this week that a big surprise is upcoming. Some media sources, linked with Hamaa suggested that likely some other Arab leaders will be visiting the region as well, to announce ending of the 5-year-long Israeli blockade and international boycott to the ruling Islamist Hamas party.
On a related note, Jewish-American linguist , Naom Chomesky called from Gaza on Israel to end the blockade and allow normal life for the poplation of Gaza, following years of it’s crippling blockade of the territory. Chomsky arrived in Gaza on Thursday evening on top of an academic delegation, who will attend a lingual conference at the Islamic University of Gaza. The delegation came in the coastal enclave through the Rafah crossing terminal on the Egyptian side of Gaza-Egypt border in southern Gaza.
For IMEMC.org, I am Rami Almeghari in Gaza
And that’s all for today from This Week in Palestine this was the Weekly report for October 13th to 19th 2012 from the Occupied Palestinian Territories. For more news and updates please visit our website at www.imemc.org. Today’s report has been brought to you by Husam Qassis and me, Salam Qumsiyeh
