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Welcome to this Week in Palestine, a service of the International Middle East Media Center, www.imemc.org, for January 4 to the 10, 2014.
The Israeli army killed one Palestinian and left 30 others injured this week, meanwhile the Israeli government announced more homes to be built in West Bank settlements. 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. Eight civilians, including two children, were injure this week when Israeli soldiers attacked the anti wall protests using rubber-coated steel bullets and tear gas. IMEMC’s Eman Abedraboo Bannoura with the details:
On Friday protests were organized in the village of Kufer Qadoum in northern West Bank in addition to the villages of al Nabi Saleh, Bil’in, Nil’in, central West Bank and Al Ma’ssara village in southern west Bank.
At the villages of Bil’in and Ni’lin, residents and their international and Israeli supporters, managed to reach the wall. Soldiers stationed there fired tear gas and rubber-coated steel bullets at protesters.
Four locals and an international activist were injured by Israeli troops attack on the weekly protest at the village of Bil’in. Another villager was injured by soldiers gunfire in Ni’lin many more at both Bil’in and Ni’lin were treated for the effects of tear gas inhalation.
In the nearby village of al Nabi Saleh, Israeli soldiers attacked the villagers and their supporters before leaving the village. Soldiers used tear gas against protesters. Two children were slightly wounded by Israeli troops gunfire. Later soldiers invaded the village and fired tear gas into residents homes. Many were treated for the effects of tear gas inhalation.
Elsewhere in Kufer Qadoumvillage , Israeli soldiers stormed the village before the protests starts and attacked residents and kidnapped one international supporter.
Meanwhile Israeli troops attacked the villagers of at al Ma’ssara and their supporters at village entrance then forced them back using rifle buts and batons.
For IMEMC News this is Eman Abedraboo Bannoura
The Political Report
This week the Palestinian Authority condemned a new Israeli bid for constructing 1400 housing units in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem as it hampers the US efforts for reaching a peace deal. IMEMC’s Rami al Meghari has more:
Israeli government announced on Friday a new bid for more housing units for settlers in both the West Bank and East Jerusalem. The bid comes only few days after US Secreteary of State, Jhon Kerry, left the region following talks with Palestinians and Israelis.
Washington has been opposed to settlements
construction on Palestinian lands, yet it has not taken a firm stance against it.
This week, Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported that Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, is rejecting any framework agreement that might refer to Jerusalem as parts of the borders of any future Palestinian state.
Secretary Kerry has recently presented ideas to both sides, including agreement on a Palestinian state within the 1967 borders including the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza Strip. Kerry is set to re-visit the region soon.
In another news, major Palestinian political factions, Hamas and Fatah, are said to have been engaged in talks for national unity.
Azzam Alahmad, representative for the Fatah party of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, phoned Hamas prime minister, Ismail Haniya, on ways to hold legislative and presidential elections, ahead of national unity.
Haniya was reported as responding that a decision could be taken after consultations with Hamas’s leaders in Gaza. Both parties have been split since 2007, one year after Hamas won legislative elections.
For IMEMC News. I am Rami Almeghari in Gaza
The West Bank and Gaza Report
Israeli army attacks targeting Palestinians communities in the West Bank and Gaza this week left one man killed at least 30 others injured. Moreover Israeli troops kidnapped 30 civilians among them a journalist during dawn invasions targeting West Bank communities this week. IMEMC’s George Rishmawi Reports:
In the Gaza Strip this week, a Palestinian man was killed, and two children were injured, one seriously, on Wednesday when Israeli soldiers fired shells into Al-Kassarat area, east of Gaza city. Al-Quds Brigades, the armed wing of the Islamic Jihad, said the slain man is one of its members, and vowed retaliation.
Later in the day one Palestinian man was wounded when Israeli soldiers attacked the funeral procession of the killed fighter. Local sources said, the soldiers, stationed across the border fence, fired gas bombs at dozens of residents during the funeral procession.
On Thursday three Palestinians were injured by an Israeli airstrike in the southern Gaza Strip. Ashraf al-Qidra, Gaza’s health ministry spokesman, told media that an Israeli aircraft fired a missile at a three-wheeled vehicle, east of Khan Younis, wounding two men and a child who was standing by the window, in a nearby house by the shattered glass. All three were taken to Kamal Nasser hospital in Khan Younis for treatment.
Elsewhere, at least 17 Palestinian youth were injured, on Thursday morning, when Israeli soldiers fired rubber-coated steel bullets and live ammunition at them in Deheisheh refugee camp, in the southern West Bank city of Bethlehem.
One of the youth was shot with a dumdum bullet in his thigh leaving him in critical condition. According to some local sources, Israeli forces broke into a number of houses in the camp after blowing up their doors, as a result clashes erupted between the invading troops and Palestinian youth.
On Tuesday at least fifteen young Palestinian men were injured during a Israeli military invasion in Al-Arroub refugee camp, north of Hebron, in the southern part of the occupied West Bank. Local sources said that clashes took place between local youth and Israeli soldiers after the military stopped and harassed several residents, at a roadblock installed at the entrance of the camp.
Earlier in the week also near Hebron one man was injured and his entire family suffered the effects of tear-gas inhalation in the village of Beit Ummar. According to local sources, Israeli troops stormed the village and provoked a clash with local youth. Soldiers also fired gunshots at resident’s water tanks and damaged some of them.
For IMEMC News this is George Rishmawi
Conclusion
And that’s all for today from This Week in Palestine. This was the Weekly report for January 4, to the 10, 2014 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 Samer Jaber and me Ghassan Bannoura.
