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Welcome to this Week in Palestine, a service of the International Middle East Media Center, www.imemc.org, for September 20th, to the 26th, 2014.
This week, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas demanded that serious change should takes place on the ground before peace talks could resume, in the meantime Israeli troops killed two men in the West Bank. 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. one civilians was injured, many others were treated for the effects of tear gas inhalation when Israeli troops attacked on Friday anti wall and settlement protests organized at a number of west Bank villages. IMEMC’s Majd Batjali with the story:
On Friday, protests were organized at the villages of Bil’in, Ni’lin and Al Nabi Saleh in central West Bank. Another protest were organized in southern West Bank village of Al Ma’ssara and Wadi Foqueen near Bethlehem in southern West Bank.
In Al Nabi saleh, Israeli soldiers attacked anti wall and settlements protesters before even leaving the village. A number of protesters were injured by rubber-coated steel bullets fired by Israeli troops.
Elsewhere at the nearby Bil’in, and Ni’lin villages, residents and their supporters managed to 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.
Many were treated for the effects of tear gas inhalation. In Bil’in one villager was hit with a gas bomb. The man sustained light wounds and was moved to a hospital in Ramallah city for treatment.
Moreover, soldiers attacked Wadi Foqueen villagers and their supporters with tear gas. In the nearby al Ma’ssara village on Friday, Israeli troops stopped the villagers and their supporters at the village entrance then forced them back using rifle-buts and batons. No injuries were reported.
For IMEMC News this is Majd Batjali.
The Political Report
In his speech to the United Nations General Assembly, two months after the war on Gaza, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said ruled out any attempt to go back to negotiations with Israel if no serious change takes place on the ground. IMEMC’s George Rishmawi has more:
Speaking before the UN General Assembly, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said 2014 was meant to be a year of international solidarity with the Palestinians, however Israel chose to make it a year of a new war of genocide perpetrated against the Palestinian people.
The Palestinian President however did not demand to try Israeli officials in International war crimes, and was satisfied by slamming Israel for the failure of the peace negotiations.
He said, “There is neither credibility nor seriousness in negotiations in which Israel predetermines the results”
President Abbas also said, it is impossible to return to the cycle of negotiations that failed to deal with what he called the substance of the matter and the fundamental question, and ruled out the chances to resume negotiations which the agreed objective is not ending the Israeli occupation and achieving the independence of the State of Palestine with East Jerusalem as its capital on the entire Palestinian Territory occupied in the 1967 war with a clear and definite timetable.
On Thursday, a resolution proposed by 18 Arab member states, expressing concern about Israel’s nuclear arsenal was defeated again, at the annual general conference of the UN’s International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). According to AFP, the measure was rejected by 58 votes to 45, with 27 countries abstaining.
Israel is widely reputed to stockpile nuclear weapons, on several accounts, but has never acknowledged the allegations. Israel is a member of the IAEA but is not subject to their inspections.
In the meantime, the Palestinian factions, including the two rival parties, Fatah and Hamas resumed their reconciliation talks in Cairo this week.
The Palestinian political factions have reached a ‘comprehensive’ agreement, on Thursday, to implement the return of their unity government in Gaza.
Egyptian sources said the negotiating groups were able to reach an agreement on a number of major points of discrepancy, including the Palestinian Authority’s take over of Rafah crossing, as well as the adjacent Philadelphi corridor along the border.
Additionally, an agreement has reportedly been reached on the issues of activating the Palestinian Authority’s rule in Gaza, and giving it the authority on paying the former Hamas employees’ salaries, and making decisions related to war and peace.
For IMEMC News, this is George Rishmawi
The West Bank and Gaza Report
Israeli troops killed two Palestinian men from the West Bank this week, in the meantime soldiers also kidnapped at least 60 civilians during invasions targeting West Bank communities. IMEMC’s Eman Abedraboo-Bannoura Reports:
Two Palestinian men were killed by invading Israeli soldiers, Tuesday at dawn, at the center of Hebron city, in southern West Bank.
According to the Israeli army Marwan Al Qawasmieh and Ammier Abu Ayasheh were surrounded at a home in Hebron city center and were killed after a short gunfight with Israeli troops. The army used a military bulldozer to destroy parts of the building and set it on fire before leaving.
Israel holds Al Qawasmieh and Abu Ayasheh responsible for killing the three Israeli settlers near Hebron in June. The Israeli army and government have not provided any evidence that both Al Qawasmieh and Abu Ayasheh or any Palestinian involvement in the killing of the three setters.
Shortly after the settlers went missing, the Israeli army conducted a large scale search campaign in Hebron city and kidnapped more than 700 Palestinians.
Moreover, a week after the remains of the three settlers were found, an Israeli radical group kidnapped a Palestinian teenager from Jerusalem and killed him.
Earlier in the week one Palestinian was shot and injured while many suffered the effects of teargas inhalation, during clashes on Sunday night with Israeli soldiers invading ‘Aida refugee camp, north of Bethlehem.
Also this week, an Israeli settler deliberately ran over a Palestinian child in the occupied east Jerusalem town of Silwan, on Thursday, according to local sources. The child reportedly sustained fractures in his hands and was transferred to hospital for treatment; his condition was described as ‘moderate’.
Staying in Jerusalem, Israeli forces, with the so-called ‘Nature Authority’, on Sunday, demolished 20 Palestinian tombs in occupied East Jerusalem. The cemetery is located in the area of Lions’ gate, right next to the eastern wall of Al Aqsa Mosque, and were demolished under the pretext that the tombs were built on confiscated land.
in other news, scores of Palestinian journalists in Gaza staged a stand-in on Thursday of this week to mark an International Day of Solidarity with Palestinian journalists. Dozens of Palestinian journalists and family members of 16 of the journalists who lost their lives in the recent Israeli offensive participated in the event.
The journalists called on the United Nations to intervene, in order to stop the Israeli violations against them and demanded the expulsion of Israel from all international organizations and journalistic bodies.
For IMEMC News this is Eman Abedraboo-Bannoura
Conclusion
And that’s all for today from This Week in Palestine. This was the Weekly report for September 20th, to the 26th 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.
