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Welcome to this Week in Palestine, a service of the International Middle East Media Center, www.imemc.org, for December 14th to the 20th , 2013.
This week as efforts to reach a peace deal between Israelis and Palestinians intensified, Israeli army attacks left two Palestinians 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 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 Rachel Shomali with the story:
At the villages of Bil’in and Ni’lin, residents and their international and Israeli supporters, managed to reach the wall.
Soldiers stationed at the wall at both locations fired tear gas and chemical water on protesters. many civilians were treated for the effects of tear gas inhalation.
Meanwhile at the nearby village of al Nabi Saleh, Israeli soldiers attacked the villagers and their supporters before leaving the village.
Soldiers used tear gas and chemical water 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 al Ma’ssara village, Israeli troops stopped the villagers and their supporters at village entrance then forced them back using rifle buts and batons to bush people back, no injuries were reported.
For IMEMC News this is Rachel Shomali.
The Political Report
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abass is heading for Cairo on underway peace efforts in the region. Meanwhile, US has been actively involved in mediation talks between Palestinians and Israelis. IMEMC’s Rami Al Meghari has more:
Abbas is set to discuss with Arab foreign minister latest updated regarding US-mediated peace talks between the Palestinian Authority and Israel. The man had earlier listened to some thoughts from US’s peace envoy Martin Endik.
The US is suggesting a gradual Israeli withdrawal from the eastern Jordan Valley in a period of four years, following any final peace agreement between the two sides. The region constitutes 6 percent of land in the occupied West Bank.
In the meantime, US Secretary of State , Jhon Kerry, will be visiting Israel and the Palestinian territories next week within accelerated US efforts for peace.
The Palestinian Authority had agreed to resuming peace talks until next September and signaled moving to UN Security Council if Israel insists on continuing settlments building on occupied lands or in case a peace deal is not reached, by then.
In the Gaza Strip, Palestinian Prime Minister of Hamas, Ismail Haniya, called on Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to convene soon in order to discuss forming a national unity government, jointly with Abbas’s rival Fatah party.
Both Hamas and Fatah want a national unity government, yet Hamas insists on coming out with this right prior to any general elections, while Abbas demands elections as the first step towards a national conciliation.
For IMEMC News, I am Rami Almeghari in Gaza.
The West Bank and Gaza Report
This week the Israeli army conducted at least 21 military invasions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank and Gaza. Troops killed two Palestinians and kidnapped 12 others. IMEMC’s Salam Qumsiy Reports:
On Wednesday of this week, Israeli troops shoot and killed a Palestinian civilian and injured seven others, during an invasion targeting Jenin refugee camp, in the northern West Bank city of Jenin.
Local sources announced that Nafe’ Sa’dy, 22, was killed after undercover forces of the Israeli army opened fire at him and his cousin, Ali Sa’day, 24, as they were walking near the home of detainee Jamal Abu Al-Haija.
The undercover forces infiltrated the refugee camp in an attempt to kidnap Al-Hija’s son, Hamza. Ali was wounded and was kidnapped by Israeli troops.
On Thursday, Israeli troops invaded Qalqilia city, in the northern part of the occupied West Bank, shot and killed a Palestinian security officer.
Eyewitnesses said that Saleh Yassin, 28, was executed in cold blood, and that the soldiers left him bleeding on the ground, and prevented local medics from providing him with urgently needed care, or moving him to hospital.
Eelier in the week Israeli soldiers violently attacked a young Palestinian man from Hebron on Sunday, causing moderate injuries that required hospitalization. A man was also injured after being rammed by a military vehicle.
In the Gaza Strip this week, three farmers, were wounded by Israeli gunfire. On Saturday Sunday and Monday of this week, Israeli stationed along the southern and northern Gaza – Israeli border fence opened fire at him while farmers were working on their lands. As a result three farmers were wounded among them Mohammed el-Shanbary, 17.
Off the Gaza coast line, Israeli navy attacked on Monday and Tuesday of this week Palestinian fishing boats. Damaged was reported but no injuries.
For IMEMC News this is Salam Qumsiy.
Conclusion
And that’s all for today from This Week in Palestine. This was the Weekly report for December 14th to the 20th, 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.
