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Welcome to this Week in Palestine, a service of the International Middle East Media Center, www.imemc.org, for July 20th to the 26th 2013.
Israelis and the Palestinians will have their first meeting in years next week with American sponsorship, in the meantime, Israeli military and settler assaults against Palestinian civilians continue in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, 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. This week protests were organized in the villages of al Nabi Saleh, Bil’in, Nil’in, central West Bank and Al Ma’ssara village in southern west Bank. IMEMC’s Salam Qumsiyeh with the details:
At the villages of Bil’in and Ni’lin, residents and their international and Israeli supporters, managed to reach the wall.
Israeli troops stationed at the illegal wall shoot tear gas at protesters. Many civilians were treated for the effects of tear gas inhalation. In Nil’in tear gas bombs cased fire that damaged some olive trees nearby owned by local farmers.
Meanwhile at the nearby village of al Nabi Saleh, Israeli soldiers attacked the villagers and their supporters before leaving the village.
Soldiers also used tear gas against unarmed protesters. Later troops invaded the village and fired tear gas into residents’ homes. Many were treated for the effects of tear gas inhalation.
Elsewhere, at the southern West Bank village of al Ma’ssara near Bethlehem, Israeli troops stopped the villagers and their supporters at village entrance then forced them back using rifle- buts and batons to bush people back, troops kidnapped one local youth as they forced people back. No injuries were reported.
For IMEMC News this is Salam Qumsiyeh.
The Political Report
This week Palestinian government sources announced that meeting involving Israelis and Palestinians to be held in Washington soon. IMEMC’s Rami al Meghari has more:
Local media sources suggested this week that Washington will sponsor next week the first meeting between Israelis and Palestinians with the aim of reviving stalled peace process between Israelis and Palestinians.
The meeting will be a part of US’s efforts to push the peace process forward. Meanwhile, the same sources suggested that Israel will likely release a number of Palestinian prisoners as a good-will gesture.
Palestinians have been demanding Israel to release veteran prisoners from Israeli jails before the peace talks are released. Repeated visits by US’s Secretary of States, John Kerry, have so far failed to bring both parties back together to the negotiations table.
In another news, the ruling Hamas party in Gaza denied Egyptian accusations to Hamas that the party has been involved in underway unrest across Egypt. The party’s spokesperson , Sami Abu Zuhri, considered those accusations as an indication that Egypt is going to repudiate regional obligations.
For IMEMC News, I am Rami Al Meghari in Gaza
The West Bank and Gaza Report
This week the Israeli army conducted at least 50 military invasions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank and Gaza. During these attacks, Israeli soldiers left one civilian injured and kidnapped at least 25 Palestinians, including 4 children. IMEMC’s Ghassan Bannoura reports:
This week Israeli army invasions and kidnappings of Palestinian civilians were focused in the cities o Jenin, northern west Bank, Ramallah, central west Bank as well as Bethlehem and Hebron in the south.
On Thursday a Palestinian young man was injured when Israeli soldiers stationed at the northern borders of the Gaza strip opened fire at him.
Local sources reported that the Palestinian young man was working at the town of Beit Hanoun near the borders with Israeli when soldiers opened fire at him and injured him.
Medical sources said that he sustained bullet wounds in his legs and was moved to a local hospital for treatment where doctors descried his injures as moderate.
Also on Thursday dozens of families of Palestinian detainees held by the Israeli army at the Nafha prison have been denied family visits after a young Palestinian woman refused to be strip searched by the soldiers.
The soldiers ordered the young woman to remove her clothes to be strip searched, but she refused. One of her relatives tried to defend her but the soldiers violently attacked and beat him.
Witnesses said that that the soldiers demanded dozens of women, mothers, wives and sisters of the detainees to be strip-searched, but they refused and were forced back home.
A total of three buses loaded with families of detainees in Nafha have been forced to return home without visiting their loved ones, local sources said.
On Wednesday Right wing extremist Israeli settlers invaded the Al Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem’s old city under the protection of Israeli police officers.
Residents said that the settlers stormed the Muslim holy place and toured inside as soldiers detained religious students who were studying inside.
Earlier in the week An Israeli army court decided on Monday to extend the detention of Mo’men Al Ateiliy for eight days and revoked his right to see a lawyer.
Al Ateiliy is a Palestinian judge from Ateel village near the northern West Bank city of Tulkarem. He was kidnapped on Sunday by Israeli troops manning a military checkpoint between his village and Tulkarem city. The army gave no reason for detaining Al Ateiliy.
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 July 20th to the 26th 2013from the Occupied Palestinian Territories. For more news and updates please keep visiting our website at www.imemc.org. Thank you for being with us, this week’s report has been brought to you by IMEMC Staf and me George Rishmawi.
