Click on Link to download or play MP3 file || 10 m 11s || 9.32 MB ||
Welcome to this Week in Palestine, a service of the International Middle East Media Center, www.imemc.org, for September 26th, to October 3rd, 2014.
This week, President Abbas say he will go to the international Criminal court, if the US veto the statehood bid at the UN. In the meantime Three Palestinian civilians were injured this week by Israeli attacks, and Israeli troops invade areas in Gaza. 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. on Friday many civilians were treated for the effects of tear gas inhalation when Israeli troops attack anti wall and settlement protests organized at a number of west Bank communities. IMEMC’s Majd Batjali has more:
In central West Bank protests were organized at the villages of Bil’in, Ni’lin and Al Nabi saleh. Also protests were organized in southern West Bank village of Al Ma’ssara near Bethlehem.
Israeli soldiers attacked anti wall and settlements protesters in Al Nabi saleh before even leaving the village. Later soldiers also invaded the village and fired tear gas at residents’ homes. Many were treated for the effects of tear gas inhalation.
In the nearby Bil’in, and Ni’lin villages, residents and their supporters reached the Israeli wall built on lands taken from local famers before soldiers stationed their showered them with tear gas. As a result 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. No injuries were reported.
For IMEMC News this is Majd Batjali.
The Political Report
The Arab League calls upon the United States not to veto the Palestinian statehood bid and Abbas will go to the International Criminal Court should the bid fails, IMEMC’s George Rishmawi with the details:
The Arab League reiterated its support to the upcoming Palestinian bid at the United Nations Security Council, demanding and end to the Israeli military occupation of Palestine, and called on the United States to refrain from using its veto power to topple the move.
The Arab League has previously approved the Palestinian bid for statehood at the security council and it continues to support this motion.
On his part, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said the Palestinian Authority would go ahead with its plan to join the International Criminal Court, should the Palestinian UN Security Council bid for setting a time frame for ending the Israeli occupation fail, or be vetoed by the United States.
Abbas made his statement during a meeting with reporters and writers at his Ramallah office, in the central West Bank.
He said, “We have already started the preparations for filing the application at the Security Council. We are seeking our right to an independent state with East Jerusalem as its capital. Abbas also stressed the demand for a clear and defined time table to end Israel’s occupation of Palestine.
Abbas further said that the Palestinian Authority wants to resume direct peace talks with the Israelis, but this cannot happen before having a clear and internationally recognized agenda for setting the borders of the future state, and setting a clear time frame for peace talks.
He added that the P.A needs three weeks to present the proposal to the UN Security Council, and that the bid needs nine votes to pass, and affirmed that Palestinians realize the fact the United States may veto the resolution.
The Palestinian President maintained that should the U.S. use its veto power, the Palestinian Authority will not hesitate to file more applications to join International organizations and treaties, clearly saying that the first application will be the International Criminal Court.
He also stated that a failure in the Security Council would lead the P.A. to reexamine its relations with Tel Aviv, including the security coordination in the West Bank, adding that more Palestinian voices are demanding an end to this coordination.
In the meantime, Abbas asserted that he is not talking about any military option, and on the contrary, he stressed that the Palestinian Authority will not allow any single bullet to be fired at any Israeli, giving more weight and attention to the diplomatic battle.
For the first time, President Abbas ridiculed comments by the US State Department deeming them as “funny”.
The State Department’s Spokeswomen Jennifer Psaki described Abbas’ use of the term “war of genocide” in the 69 session of the UN General Assembly as offensive and disappointing.
Psaki said, “Abbas’ speech today included offensive characterizations that were deeply disappointing and which we reject” adding that “Such provocative statements are counterproductive and undermine efforts to create a positive atmosphere and restore trust between the parties.’
On his part, Chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat described Psaki’s words as “irresponsible, indecent and rejected.”
For IMEMC News, this is George Rishmawi
The West Bank and Gaza Report
This week Israeli attacks left at least 3 civilians injured. Moreover, Israeli forces conducted at least 64 military invasions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank this week. During these invasions, Israeli troops kidnapped at least 53 Palestinians, including 6 children. IMEMC’s Eman Abedraboo-Bannoura reports:
Israeli army invasions and kidnappings of civilians were mainly focused this week at the cities of Hebron and Bethlehem in southern West Bank as well as the northern West Bank city of Jenin and Ramallah in central West Bank.
This week the Palestine Prisoners Society – PPS – reported that Israeli authorities have imprisoned 560 Palestinians during the month of September.
According to the PPS records, Hebron province has witnessed the highest rates of imprisonment, with 163 prisoners, followed by Jenin province, with 108.
On Sunday evening,a child was injured after being struck by a settler’s car at Yatta town, near the southern West Bank city of Hebron. Islam al-’Amour, six years old, suffered a number of fractures, cuts and bruises to different parts of her body, and was moved to the a hospital in Hebron city, local sources reported. The settler fled the scene.
Later in the week, another child was seriously injured, on Tuesday evening, when an explosive device, dropped by the Israeli army during training, detonated near him as he was herding the family sheep. Malek Abu Dayya, 12 years of age, was injured in the al-Manshiyya area in Teqoua’ town, southeast of Bethlehem. He was first moved to a local clinic before he was moved to a hospital in Bethlehem due to the severity of his injuries. The area is frequently used by Palestinian shepherds for grazing, while the army largely uses it, as well as other areas in the West Bank, for military drills using explosives and live ammunition.
On Thursday, a young Palestinian man was shot by Israeli army fire, after a number of military jeeps invaded the Jenin refugee camp, in the northern part of the occupied West Bank. Mohammad Mofid Abu Khorj, was shot by a live round to his leg, while many suffered the effects of teargas inhalation during clashes with invading soldiers.
Also this week, the Civil Administration Office of the Israeli army, in the occupied West Bank, issued a decision to confiscate 1.23 Acres of Palestinian lands to expand a road section used by settlers east of Jerusalem. Israeli sources said that the plan is meant for expanding road #437, near the Palestinian town of Hezma, and that the new section would reduce traffic jams on the main road for settlers and help linking occupied Jerusalem with illegal Israeli settlements in the central West Bank district of Ramallah.
In Gaza this week, Israeli forces, Thursday, opened fire on Palestinians homes and agricultural land east of Khan Younis, to the south of the Gaza Strip. Israeli soldiers, stationed at military towers along Gaza borders, to the east of Khan Younis, opened fire at Palestinians homes and farmlands; no injuries were reported.
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 26th, to October 3rd, 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.
