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Welcome to this Week in Palestine, a service of the International Middle East Media Center, www.imemc.org, for December 1st to the 7th, 2012
Palestinian leadership decided this week to resort to the UN Security Council for a resolution to force Israel to stop its settlement activities in the occupied Palestinian Territories, and Israel’s military continue its attacks targeting Palestinians. These stories and more, coming up, stay tuned.
The Nonviolence Report
Let’s us begin our weekly report with nonviolent activities organized in West Bank. Anti wall protests were organized on Friday at the villages of Bil’in Ni’lin and al Nabi Saleh in central West Bank, as well as Al Ma’ssara village in southern West Bank in addition to Kufer Kadum, in the north.
Four Palestinians were injured by Israeli troops’ rubber-coated steel bullets at the village of al Nabi Saleh. Troops stopped the march at the village entrance and attacked protesters. In addition to the four injured may others suffered effects of tear gas inhalation.
In the nearby Bil’in and Nil’in village, Israeli soldiers attacked the protesters as soon as they reached the Israeli wall build on local farmers’ lands. As a result dozens were treated for the effects of tear gas inhalation
Also on Friday many villagers were treated for the effects of tear gas inhalation when troops attacked the anti wall protest at the village of Kufer Kadum.
In Al Ma’ssara, troops forced people back into the village and did not allow them to get to the wall. Soldiers used rifle buts and batons to bush people back, no injuries were reported.
The Political Report
The Palestinian leadership decided this week to resort to the UN Security Council for a resolution to force Israel to stop its settlement activities in the occupied Palestinian Territories; meanwhile Hamas leader Khalid Masha’al makes his first visit to the Gaza Strip in 36 years. IMEMC’s George Rishmawi has more:
The Israeli government is going ahead with the plans to build around 3000 commercial and housing units in the occupied West Bank, despite a world-wide rejection of the step.
The Palestinian Authority decided this week to take this issue to the United Nations Security Council, in an attempt to obtain a resolution to force Israel to stop this plan, which was described as huge obstruction to the two-state solution.
Israel has announced its plans to build these units, hours after the United Nations General Assembly voted in favor of upgrading the status of Palestine into a non-member state with an observer status.
The governments of Britain, Sweden and France summoned the Israeli ambassadors in protest to the newly declared Israeli plan. Canadian Prime Minister, Stephen Harper, informed Israel’s PM, Benjamin Netanyahu, that his country cannot support Israel in its recent decision to build thousands of settlement units in the West Bank.
At least 3000 commercial and housing units are planned to be built in the area called, E1, located between Jerusalem and the settlement Ma’ale Adumim which completely isolates the northern and southern parts of the West Bank.
In other news, Khalid Masha’al, Chief of the Politburo of Hamas arrived in the Gaza Strip on Friday for the first time in 45 years. Ismael Haniyeh the Prime Minister of the deposed Hamas government in the Gaza Strip in addition to other prominent leaders of Hamas and hundreds of people welcomed Masha’al at the Rafah border crossing in the southern part of the Gaza Strip.
Masha’al told the crowds gathered to greet him that he hops that his next visit would be to Jerusalem, Ramallah and a liberated Palestine.
Earlier in the week Indonesian Parliament head, Ali Marzouki, arrived in the Gaza Strip via the Rafah Border Terminal on Wednesday heading a senior Indonesian delegation to observe the massive destruction caused by the latest Israeli offensive against the coastal region.
Dr. Ahmad Bahar, deputy head of the Palestinian Legislative Council, and several legislators and government officials welcomed the visiting Indonesian delegation and held a press conference during which, Marzouki said that Indonesia supports the Palestinian people and their struggle for liberation and independence, and denounced the ongoing Israeli violations against the Palestinian human rights.
Internally, Osama Hamdan, head of the International Relations Department of the Hamas movement, stated Wednesday that Hamas will be heading to Cairo this month to participate in series of meetings aimed at implementing the Palestinian unity previously agreed upon. Hamadan added that there are ongoing talks and efforts to prepare for this meeting in Cairo due in the coming few days.
For IMEMC News this is George Rishmawi
The West Bank and Gaza Report
One man killed, at least 12 others injured this week by Israeli army fire during attacks targeting Palestinian communities in Gaza and the West Bank. Also This week Israeli military forces conducted at least 47 invasions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank. During which soldiers arrested at least 34 Palestinians, including 2 children and a woman with her son. IMEMC’s Eman Abed Rabbo reports:
On Monday A Palestinian man was killed by Israeli troops’ gunfire at a checkpoint near the northern West Bank city of Tulkarem. Eyewitness said that soldiers refused to allow ambulance crews to reach the man after soldiers shoot him.
Local sources identified the man as Hatem Shadied, 38, from the village of Allar near Tulakrem. According to Eyewitness soldiers chased Shadied and rammed his car off road then opened fire at him killing him. Israeli sources said that soldiers suspected the man of having a shuffle in his car.
In other news 14 residents have been injured, in Hebron city, southern West Bank, while dozens were treated for the effects of teargas inhalation, during clashes with Israeli soldiers invading Bab Az-Zawiya area in the city.
Local sources reported that the clashes erupted after Israeli soldiers attempted to kidnap a Palestinian police officer in Bab Az-Zawiya, but the residents gathered around the soldiers and stopped them.
The army then started firing gas bombs, concussion grenades and rounds of live ammunition leading to 14 injuries in addition to the dozens who received treatment for the effects of teargas inhalation.
Also this week Palestinian political prisoners in Israeli military detention announced on Tuesday a one-day hunger strike for the second consecutive week. Last Tuesday, prisoners launched a solidarity strike in support of Ayman Sharawna, Samer Issawi.
Ayman, on hunger strike for 149 days, and Issawi, on hunger strike for 126 days, are protesting the Israeli administrative detention and ill treatment by their captives. Both men were released last year as part of the prisoners swap deal between Palestinian groups and Israel and were arrested again in July of this year.
Elsewhere the Israeli military demolished, this week, a mosque near Hebron city in addition to a room and an farm greenhouse in Nablus.
In the Gaza Strip this week three civilians were wounded when the Israeli Forces along the border fence opened fire at them on Saturday morning. Also on Saturday the Israeli gunboats surrounded and opened fire at a Palestinian fishing boat that was 3 nautical miles off Gaza City shore. Soldiers then arrested 5 fishermen and transported them to Ashdod Port.
On Monday a Palestinian child was wounded when the Israeli Forces along the border fence opened fire at him in the east of al-Bureij refugee camp.
For IMEMC News this is Eman Abed Rabbo
Conclusions
And that’s all for today from This Week in Palestine this was the Weekly report for December 1st to 7th 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, Ghassan Bannoura.
