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Welcome to this Week in Palestine, a service of the International Middle East Media Center, www.imemc.org, for April 25th, to May 1st, 2015.
Palestinian workers make international workers day meanwhile Israeli attacks this week leave at least three killed civilians. 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. Many protesters were treated for the effects of tear gas inhalation on Friday when Israeli soldiers attacked anti wall nonviolent protests organized in West Bank village using tear gas and rubber-coated steel bullets. IMEMC’s Majd Batjali has more:
Protests were organized on Friday in the village of Kufer Kadum in northern West Bank, the villages of al Nabi Saleh, Bil’in, Nil’in, central West Bank, and Al Ma’ssara village in southern west Bank. This week protesters carried Palestinian flags and signs, and chanted for the rights of all workers, as May 1, the International Workers’ Day, is widely marked by the Palestinians each year.
Israeli troops attacked the villagers and their supporters in Kufer Kadum at the village entrance and attacked protesters forcing them back into the village using tear gas and live gunfire.
Elsewhere on Friday, Israeli soldiers used tear gas and sound bombs as well as live gunfire to attack the weekly anti wall and settlements protests at villages of Bil’in and Ni’lin, and the nearby al Nabi Saleh.
In Bil’in, Spanish peace activist was shot by an Israeli gas bomb directly to the shoulder, and received treatment by Palestinian medics. Many residents’ were also treated for tear gas inhalation at all three locations.
Meanwhile Israeli troops attacked the villagers of al Ma’ssara 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
In the political news this week, hamas in Gaza looks forward to an effective Saudi role into Palestinian unity efforts. Meanwhile, negotiations between Palestinians and Israelis are deadlocked, so far. IMEMC’s Rami Al Meghari with the story:
Former Palestinian prime minister of Hamas, Ismail Haniya, says that his party is looking forward to an effective Saudi role into internal Palestinian unity.
Haniya’s remarks came following end of Saudi-led coalition to restore Yemeni unity, in the aftermath of internal unrest across the country.
Meanwhile, Palestinian internal unity is reaching is reaching a deadlock, following the last visit by members of the consensus Palestinian government, to Gaza, two weeks ago.
Prime Minister of the consensus government, Rami Alhamdallah, was quoted as saying that top priority for his government is reaching a conciliation deal between Fatah and Hamas.
In the meantime, top Palestinian negotiator, Saeb Eriqat, said that Israel is creating obstacles on the peace process’s track. Incumbent Israeli Prime minister, from his part, was reported to have been forming a coalition government.
Israeli media reports suggested that Israeli foreign minister, known to be hardliner, will likely take the post of top negotiators with Palestinians.
For IMEMC news , I am Rami Almeghari in Gaza.
The West Bank and Gaza Report
This week Israeli attacks leave three killed Palestinian civilians in the West Bank, meanwhile two workers die in Gaza due to tunnel accidents. IMEMC’s Eman Abedraboo-Bannoura reports:
On Saturday, Ali Abu Ghannam, 16 years of age, was shot and killed, by Israeli soldiers on the Za’eem military roadblock, east of occupied Jerusalem. Local sources said that Israeli soldiers stopped the Palestinian, who was walking with a young woman from his family late on Friday night, and started provoking the two, before the soldiers shouted vulgar words towards the young woman.
The incident caused the young man to engage in a scuffle with the soldiers before one of them shot him dead. The army is alleging the Palestinian “attempted to stab a soldier,’ and was shot dead while trying to flee the scene.
Also on Saturday, a young man was killed by Israeli army fire near the Ibrahimi Mosque, in the southern West Bank city of Hebron. The Israeli military claimed that the soldiers shot and killed Mahmoud Yahia Abu Jheishe, 20 years of age, “after he stabbed a soldier.”
Later in the week, a young man who was shot and critically injured on Monday evening, near the northern West Bank city of Jenin, died of his wounds on Tuesday. Local sources said that Mohammad Murad Yahia, 21 years of age, died in a hospital in the northern West Bank city of Nablus. Eyewitnesses said Israeli soldiers shot the young man, while standing near the Annexation Wall section in al-‘Arqa village, without any provocation or prior warning.
Meanwhile a Palestinian civilian was shot and lightly wounded on Wednesday by Israeli troops at protest against Israel’s cancer-causing chemical plants in Tulkarem city , northern west Bank.
Around fifty Palestinians and international activists gathered today in Tulkarem to protest the presence of 11 Israeli chemical plants located in the city. The protest took place outside the Gishuri chemical plant on what is locally referred to as the “death road” due to the health problems caused by the Israeli plants.
In the Gaza Strip this week, two Palestinian workers died as a result of accidents inside siege busting tunnels. One workers was killed on Friday and the other on Monday of this week. Both were killed when the tunnels they work in collapsed on them.
On Tuesday Local news sources reported that the soldiers fired dozens of rounds of live ammunition on the fishing boats, less than four nautical miles away from the Gaza shore. At least one boat was damaged, while the fishers had to jump into the water to avoid the Israeli navy fire.
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 April 25th, to May 1st, 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.
