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Welcome to this Week in Palestine, a service of the International Middle East Media Center, www.imemc.org, for March 21st, to the 27th, 2015.
UN official as Israel to build confidence with the Palestinians, meanwhile this a Palestinians youth is killed by Israeli troops gunfire during invasions targeting Palestinian communities. 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. Five Palestinian civilians were injured and many more were treated for the effects if tear gas inhalation by Israeli troops who attacked the nonviolent protests organized in West Bank villages. IMEMC’s Majd Batjali reports:
This week anti wall and settlements protests were organized in the central west Bank villages of Bil’in, Ni’lin, and al Nabi Saleh. In addition protests were organized in the villages of Kufer Qadum in northern West Bank and Al Ma’ssara in the south. Israeli soldiers used live rounds, tear gas and rubber-coated steel bullets against the unarmed protesters.
Five villagers were injured and many more were treated for the effects of tear gas inhalation as Israeli soldiers attacked the weekly protest organized in Kufer Kadum village. One of the injured were hit by a live gunfire while the other four were lightly wounded by rubber-coated steel bullets, local sources reported.
Bil’in and Ni’lin protesters managed to reach the Israeli wall. Meanwhile in 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.
In the southern West Bank village of al Ma’ssara, Israeli troops attacked 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 Majd Batjali.
The Political Report
This week, UN’s Robert Serry, calls upon Israel to start some confidence-building measures. Meanwhile, an annual Arab summit meeting discusses Middle East issues, including prospects of Palestinian-Israeli peace. IMEMC’s Rami Al Meghari with the details:
United Nations’ special envoy to the occupied Palestinian territories, Robert Serry, speaking before the UN’s Security Council, emphasized on the need for the freeze of ‘illegal’ Israeli settlement activities, as perquisite for a Palestinian statehood.
Serry regarded latest remarks by incumbent Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, as being counterproductive to peace-making efforts.
PM Netanyahu had earlier pledged his voters that no Palestinian state will be created alongside with Israel.
Meanwhile, Arab leaders and representatives of more than 20 Arab countries, will be holding their regular summit meeting soon. The meeting will likely discuss prospects of peace between Palestinians and Israelis, in light of Israeli prime minister’s remarks.
Nabil Alaraby, Secretary General of the Arab states league, had earlier said ‘ let’s wait and see’, in response to those remarks, which disturbed Washington, a key mediator between both Palestinians and Israelis.
At the internal Palestinian level, Palestinian Prime Minister, Rami Alhamdallah, visited the Gaza Strip within efforts to resolve a number of outstanding issues, including delayed reconstruction of war-torn Gaza and reactivating a unity deal between the Islamist Hamas in Gaza and the Fatah party of Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas.
For IMEMC News, I am Rami Almeghari in Gaza
The West Bank and Gaza Report
A Palestinian youth was reported killed this week after succumbing to wounds he sustained by Israeli troops gunfire, meanwhile this week Israeli troops conducted more than 50 invasions targeting West Bank communities and kidnapped at least 35 civilians, including six children. IMEMC’s Eman Abedraboo-Bannoura has more:
This week invasions and home searches were reported in the cities of Nablus and Jenin, northern west Bank and Ramallah city in central West Bank in addition to Hebron in the south.
On Wednesday A Palestinian youth was announced dead after succumbing to wounds he sustained last week.
Earlier on March 18th, Israeli forces invaded Al Jalazonerefugee camp in the central West Bank city of Ramallah and opened gunfire randomly at residents injuring Ali Safi, 20 years old, in his chest. Safi was moved to Ramallah hospital for treatment and remained there until he was pronounced, local sources reported on Wednesday.
On Tuesday, Israeli soldiers, accompanied by armored bulldozers, invaded Ta’nak village, near the northern West Bank city of Jenin, and demolished a water well, in addition to uprooting ten Palestinian olive trees.
Also on Tuesday, Israeli soldiers invaded the al-Koum Palestinian village, southwest of the southern West Bank city of Hebron, and handed orders for the destruction of two Palestinian homes, and a well.
Earlier in the week, Israeli police officers demolished, on Monday morning, the al-‘Araqib Bedouin village in the Negev, for the 82nd consecutive time, rendering the families homeless again.
Dozens of police vehicles, and undercover units of the Israeli military, accompanied by bulldozers and trucks, invaded the village before forcing the residents out of their sheds and homes, and demolished their structures.
Seeking a temporary shelter, the families had to go to the local cemetery. In related news, the Israeli army, and personnel of the Jerusalem City Council, delivered late on Sunday night, demolition notices targeting five Palestinian homes in Ein al-Louza and Be’er Ayyoub neighborhoods, in Silwan town, in occupied East Jerusalem.
On Thursday, several military jeeps invaded Surif town, west of Hebron, and handed notices to six families ordering to halt the construction of their homes, in Deir Mousa area, northwest of the town. Also on Thursday a Palestinian driver crashed his own car, after an Israeli soldier stopped him, searched his car, and forced him to drive him to the Yitzhak illegal colony, near the northern West Bank city of Nablus.
Local media sources announced that an Israeli soldier of the Golani Brigade waved to a Palestinian driver, 19 years of age, ordering him to stop, and searched his car before ordering him to drive him to the Yitzhar illegal colony, built on Palestinian lands near Nablus.
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 March 21st, to the 27th, 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.
