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Welcome to this Week in Palestine, a service of the International Middle East Media Center, www.imemc.org, for November 30 to December 60, 2013.
United Stats officials visited the region this week trying to boost the stumbling peace process meanwhile Israeli army attacks targeting Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza left one man killed and others injured. 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 many protesters were treated for the effects of tear gas inhalation when Israeli troops used tear gas and chemical water to attack anti wall and settlement protests organized at a number of west Bank communities. IMEMC’s Eman Abedraboo-Bannoura with the story:
On Friday protests were organized at the village of Kufer Qadom, in northern West Bank and the villages of Bil’in, Nil’in and Al Nabi saleh in central West Bank. Also an anti wall protest was organized in southern West Bank village of Al Ma’ssara.
Israeli soldiers attacked protesters in Al Nabi saleh before even leaving the village , troops later invaded Al Nabi saleh and fired tear gas at residents homes. Many were treated for the effects of tear gas inhalation.
In the nearby Bil’in, and Nil’in, residents and their Israeli and international supporters reached the Israeli wall built on lands taken from local famers before soldiers stationed their showered them with tear gas and chemical water that generate bad smell. At both protests, many were treated for the effects of tear gas inhalation.
Elsewhere two civilians were injured at the village Kufer Qadum when Israeli troops attacked the weekly protest there.
Elsewhere, at al Ma’ssara village on Friday , Israeli troops stopped the villagers and their supporters at village entrance then forced them back using rifle buts and batons to push people back, no injuries were reported.
For IMEMC News this is Eman Abedraboo-Bannoura.
The Political Report
US-led peace efforts in the region continued this week, while both Israelis and Palestinians have not so far reached a deal. Meanwhile, internal Palestinian conciliation is still deadlocked. IMEMC’s Rami Al Meghari has more:
US Secretary of States, Jhon Kerry, is visiting the region this week, in an effort to bridge the gap between Palestinians and Israelis. Israel is expected to release third and final batch of Palestinian prisoners by January, in a time negotiations between the two sides never seem fruitful.
The Palestinian side has objected to ongoing Israeli settlement plans in the occupied East Jerusalem as being an obstacle to peace-making. Israel insists on keeping up the settlements drive, regardless to current negotiations.
Some political analysts believe that Kerry’s mission in the region is getting difficult. Israeli media outlets suggested that Kerry is going to meet with Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, on ways to get out of current peace talks impasse.
Earlier, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas had pointed out that there can never be peace with Israel’s continuation of settlement activities on occupied Palestinian territories that are boundaries of future Palestinian state.
United Nation, which recognized Palestine as a non-member state in November of last year, reiterated position that 1967 border lines are the boundaries of future Palestinian state. These include East Jerusalem, West Bank and the Gaza Strip.
In June of this year, US helped both sides return back to negotiations table, after Palestinians renounced a previous demand that Israel should halt settlement activities. Israel, in return, agreed to release about 114 Palestinian prisoners, jailed prior to Oslo Accords of 1993, within three stages, ending by January 2014.
In the meantime, representatives of Palestinian factions including Fatah of Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas, the ruling Islamist Hamas, the Islamic Jihad group, and some other leftist ones, met in Gaza this week to discuss conciliation between the rival Hamas and Fatah.
Hamas’s Ismail Redwan, called on Fatah party to stop negotiations with Israel, given Israel’s intransigence regarding peace with Palestinians, mainly continued Israeli settlements building.
Fatah’s Faisal Abu Shahla, called on Hamas to adhere to general elections before any conciliation takes place. Abu Shahla cited previous understandings between the two parties, reached in both Cairo and Doha.
For IMEMC News, I am Rami Almeghari in Gaza.
The West Bank and Gaza Report
This week the Israeli army conducted at least 66 invasions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank and Gaza. During these attacks, Israeli troops kidnapped at least 24 Palestinians, including ten children. Moreover Israeli police this week killed a Palestinian worker. IMEMC’s Salam Qumsiy reports:
Israeli army invasions and kidnappings in the West Bank this week were focused in the cities of Bethlehem and Hebron, in southern West Bank and Jenin in the north in addition to East Jerusalem.
On Saturday Israeli police officers shot and killed a Palestinian laborer in the Petah Tikva area, north of Israel, after chasing him. The police also kidnapped 20 of the workers. Eyewitnesses stated that dozens of police officers attacked a group of Palestinian laborers as they slept in a cemetery in the area, kidnapping twenty. The officers then shot and killed one worker, allegedly after he “tried to attack them with a rock”.
On Monday morning dozens of Israeli soldiers invaded l-‘Oja town in the West Bank district of Jericho, and demolished two homes and four sheds owned by local farmers.
On Tuesday Palestinian medical sources reported that three young Palestinians have been shot and injured by rubber-coated metal bullets, fired by Israeli soldiers invading the Aida refugee camp, in Bethlehem. Later on Wednesday another man was injured by Israeli troops during an invasions targeting Aida refugee camp.
In the Gaza Strip this week, Israeli tanks stationed at the southern borders between Gaza and Israel opened fire on Wednesday at lands owned by local farmers. Local sources announced that Israeli tanks open heavy gun fire towards farmers working in their lands in Al Foukhari area near Khan Younis city. Damage to farm structures was reported but no injuries.
Earlier in the week, Israeli gunboats stationed in Gaza Sea opened fire on Monday at Palestinian fishing boats in the northern Gaza Strip. No casualties or damage were reported.
From IMEMC News Salam Qumsiy
Conclusion
And that’s all for today from This Week in Palestine. This was the Weekly report for November 30, to December 6th 2013 from the Occupied Palestinian Territories. For more news and updates please visit our website at www.imemc.org. This week’s report has been brought to you by George Rishmawi and me, Ghassan Bannoura.
