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Welcome to this Week in Palestine, a service of the International Middle East Media Center, www.imemc.org, for January 24th, to the 30th, 2015.
This week Israeli attacks targeting Palestinian communities in the west Bank left five injured civilians, meanwhile in Gaza Israeli navy continued to attack fishermen. At the political level, the US showed concerns over new Israeli settlements bids 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. On Friday three civilians, including a child, were injured and many others 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 villages of Al Ma’ssara near Bethlehem.
At the villages of Bil’in, and Ni’lin residents and their supporters reached the Israeli wall built on lands taken from local famers before soldiers stationed their showered them with tear gas. In Bil’in one man was injured after a tear gas bomb hit him in his hand.
Meanwhile many protesters were treated for the effects of tear gas inhalation at both villages.
In the nearby village of Al Nabi Saleh, Israeli soldiers attacked protesters before even leaving the village. Troops fired live rounds, tear gas and rubber-coated steel bullets at unarmed protesters injuring one child in his leg with a live round.
Later soldiers also invaded the village and fired tear gas at residents’ homes. As a result four civilians were injured by rubber-coated steel bullets, while many were treated for the effects of tear gas inhalation.
In northern West Bank, one villager was injured and many others were treated for the effects of tear gas inhalation when Israeli soldiers attacked villagers of Kufer Qadum and their supporters.
Near the southern West Bank city of Bethlehem, at al Ma’ssara village on Friday, 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
This week The United States of America announced it’s concerned over new Israeli settlements bids on occupied Palestinian lands. This and more by IMEMC’s Rami al Meghari:
US voiced out concern over new Israeli settlements bids on occupied Palestinian territories. The concern came after Israeli government announced tenders for construction of more than 490 housing units in illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem.
Settlements building has been dubbed illegal by the international community and has constituted an obstacle to US-led peace efforts over the past 20 years, between Israel and Palestinians.
In the meantime, the government of Sweden has said it would push for resumption of peace talks between Israelis and Palestinians. The Swedish willingness comes shortly before a visit by Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas to Stocholm.
Sweden has already recognized a Palestinian state on occupied Palestinian territories, including the Gaza Strip, West Bank and East Jerusalem. The recognition has caused Sweden-Israeli relations to destabilize.
At the internal Palestinian level, Gaza-based political factions including the Islamist Hamas, called for the activation of a consensus government , formed by Palestinian Presient Mahmoud Abbas, in June of last year.
Since June, Gaza Strip’s public sector’s servants have gone unpaid monthly salaries and reconstruction of war-torn Gaza, is yet to start.
For IMEMC. NEWS, I am Rami Almeghari in Gaza
The West Bank and Gaza Report
This week Israeli attacks targeting Palestinian communities in Gaza and the West Bank left at least five civilians injured including three children. Moreover in Jerusalem settlers tried to kidnap Palestinian children. IMEMC’s Eman Abedraboo-Bannoura with the details:
On Sunday night a young man was injured, and another was kidnapped, by Israeli soldiers invading Beit Ummar town near the southern West Bank city of Hebron. Moreover, medical sources in Hebron said scores of Palestinians received treatment for the effects of tear has inhalation, especially near the Abu Al-Reesh roadblock in Hebron’s Old City, during clashes that took place after the soldiers invaded it.
Later in the week, three young Palestinian men have been injured by Israeli rubber-coated metal bullets on Tuesday, while many suffered the effects of tear gas inhalation, near the northern entrance of al-Ram town, north of occupied Jerusalem.
The three were shot, earlier on Tuesday morning, while dozens of residents were protesting the army closure of the main entrance of their town with concrete blocks. All wounded Palestinians received treatment by local medics as their injuries did not require hospitalization.
A Palestinian minor was injured, Wednesday, after an explosive device left behind by the Israeli army went off in Ein al-Hilwa area of the Jordan Valley, according to local sources. 15-year-old Ali Ilyan sustained injuries from the shrapnel of a remnant Israeli bomb, he was transferred to hospital for treatment.
According to local sources, the Israeli army holds periodic military exercises in the Jordan Valley involving the use of warplanes and live ammunition, which cause a high risk on the local families living there.
Also this week, Israeli settlers tried to kidnap two Palestinian children in east Jerusalem. Wednesday morning Jamil Gheith said that the settler attempted to kidnap his 14-year-old son Ibrahim, but managed to flee the scene. when the Israeli police was called in to investigate they attacked the residents and the boy’s family instead of looking for the settlers.
On Thursday, Israeli settlers attempted to kidnap a Palestinian toddler in one of the streets of Jabal al-Mokabber town, in occupied East Jerusalem. Media sources said the settlers tried to kidnap Mohammad Ghassan Abu al-Jamal, 18 months of age, while walking with his brothers after leaving a local medical center in Jabal al-Mokabber.
Elsewhere in the Gaza Strip this week, Israeli forces, opened fire at Palestinian agricultural lands across the border between Israel and the Gaza Strip, witnesses said on Tuesday. No injuries have been reported.
On Thursday morning Israeli navy boats attacked Palestinian fishermen while sailing off the shore line of northern Gaza Strip. Fishermen said that they were fishing in the six nautical mile limit when Israeli navy ships opened fire at them causing damage but no injuries.
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 January 24th, to the 30th, 2015. 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 George Rishmawi and me Ghassan Bannoura.
