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Welcome to this Week in Palestine, a service of the International Middle East Media Center, www.imemc.org, for March 15th to the 21st, 2014.
Palestinian Presidents, Mahmoud Abbas meet this Week US Presidents Barak Obama, with no progress made on the peace talks, meanwhile Israeli attacks targeting Palestinians left one youth killed this week.
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. Eleven civilians were injured on Friday when Israeli soldiers attacked the nonviolent protests organized in West Bank villages. IMEMC’s Eman Abedraboo-Bannoura has more:
Eight civilians were injured when Israeli troops attacked the weekly protest organized by the villagers of Kufer Kadum in northern West Bank. soldiers also invaded the village and fired tear gas into residents homes, as a result many civilians, including children suffered effects of tear gas inhalation.
In central West Bank, at the villages of Bil’in and Ni’lin, Israeli soldiers attacked the protesters as soon as they reached the gate in the wall that separates local farmers from their lands. in Bil’in a 13 year old boy was injured in his foot and many other protesters suffered the effects of tear gas inhalation and were treated by field medics.
At the nearby al Nabi Saleh village, Israeli troops fired several rounds of rubber-coated steel bullets at the villagers as soon as they reached the village entrance. Moreover Israeli troops fired tear gas at residential areas causing damage to the houses as some of the tear gas canisters went through the windows inside the villagers’ homes.
In Al-Ma’asara village, Israeli troops stopped villagers and their supporters at the entrance of the village and forced them back, however, no injuries were reported.
For IMEMC News this Eman Abedraboo-Bannoura.
The Political Report
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas returned back from Washington this week, where he met with US president Barak Obama with no progress made in the peace talks. IMEMC Rami Al Meghari with the details:
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said that Palestinians will not further commit to more recognitions for the state of Israel, given that Palestinians had already recognized Israel’s right to exist on this part of the world.
Meanwhile, President Obama maintained that some concessions are needed for the sake of current peace process between Palestinians and Israelis. Obama demanded an extension of negotiations’ deadline due in next month.
In the meantime, some Israeli media outlets suggested that a new batch of veteran Palestinian prisoners will not likely be released by end of this month.
The new batch is the last among four others, making up a total of 101 , who US mediated their release as a precondition for the resumption of Israeli-Palestinian peace talks , back in June 2013.
Meanwhile, concerned Israeli authorities announced this week a new settlements building bid of about 1200 housing units in illegal Israeli settlements in both East Jerusalem and West Bank.
Palestinians have insisted that those settlements are illegal and constitute an obstacle to peace-making. International law and United Nations recognize East Jerusalem and West Bank as occupied Palestinian lands.
For IMEMC News. I am Rami Almeghari in Gaza.
The West Bank and Gaza Report
This week, Israeli troops shoot and killed a teenager in the West Bank and settlers attacked two children. Moreover, Israeli navy continued to attack Gaza’s fishermen. Also in Gaza This week unknown explosions claimed the lives of two civilians. IMEMC’s Salam Qumsiya reports:
Israeli army invasions targeting West Bank communities were focused this week in the cities of Hebron and Bethlehem as well as Jenin and Nablus. During these invasions Israeli troops kidnapped 50 Palestinians this week including 7 children.
On Wednesday, Yousif Abu Aker, 15, was shot and killed by Israeli soldiers close to the annexation wall near Al Ramadieen village in Hebron district southern West Bank. The Israeli army said that Abu Aker was trying to jump the wall to get inside Israel when he was shot.
According to local sources Yousif Abu Aker was picking plants close to the wall when soldiers opened fire at him. Medical sources said that he was killed instantly. Abu Aker comes from the village of Dier Al Assal, in southern Hebron hells.
On Thursday two children were injured after a number of fanatic Israeli settlers attacked them near Beit Furik village, east of the northern West Bank city of Nablus. The two boys, 11 years old suffered moderate injuries due to the attack that took place in a Palestinian land close to the Itamar illegal settlement.
The settlers kidnapped the two children, and took them to the settlement before handing them to the Israeli army. Troops later handed the two children to their families who took them to a nearby hospital.
In Gaza a young Palestinian man was killed on Friday in an explosion that took place in Gaza City. The sources said that the man died instantly due to the blast, but provided no further details.
The explosion took place in the at-Tuffah neighborhood, in Gaza City. Earlier in the week a child died on Sunday of wounds he sustained last week in an explosion that took place in Beit Hanoun, in the northern part of the Gaza Strip. The child, two years of age, was seriously injured and remained in a critical condition until he passed away.
Earlier in the week, Israeli warships, opened gunfire at Palestinian fishermen on Tuesday off the coast of the southern Gaza Strip, fishermen said. No injuries were reported, but the fishermen said they were forced to sail back to shore.
For IMEMC News this is Salam Qumsiya.
Conclusion
And that’s all for today from This Week in Palestine. This was the Weekly report for March 15th to the 21st 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 George Rishmawi, and me Ghassan Bannoura.
