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Welcome to this Week in Palestine, a service of the International Middle East Media Center, www.imemc.org, for May 23rd, to the 29th, 2015.
This week Israel calls for the resumption of peace meanwhile Israeli army attacks targeting Palestinians leave one killed and at least a dozen others injured. 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 Israeli soldiers used live rounds, tear gas and rubber-coated steel bullets to attack anti wall and settlements protests organized at a number of villages. As a result at least one youth was injured and many others were treated for the effects of tear gas inhalation. IMEMC’s Majd Batjali has more:
On Friday protests were organized at the villages of Bil’in, Ni’lin and Al Nabi saleh in central West Bank. Anti-wall and settlements protests were also organized in the southern West Bank village of Al Ma’ssara near Bethlehem and in Kufer Qadum in the north. This week the protesters handed Israeli soldiers red cards in support of the FIFA decision to investigate Israel’s violations targeting Palestinian footballers.
One youth sustained moderate wounds in Kufer Qadum, when Israeli troops attacked the villagers and their international supporters at the village entrance. Meanwhile in the villages of Bil’in, and Ni’lin, residents and their supporters reached the Israeli wall. 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 the nearby Al Nabi Saleh village, residents and their supporters conducted a football game at the village entrance that is closed by soldiers. Later troops attacked residents with tear gas. Many civilians suffered the effects of tear gas inhalation.
Also on Friday 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
Palestinian Authority considers Israeli call for resumption of peace talks, partial. Meanwhile, Israeli PM offers a peace with Arab states. IMEMC’s Rami Al Meghari with the details:
Palestinian presidency spokesperson, Nabil Abu Rudaina, refused a latest Israeli PM’s call for resumption of peace talks, mainly on boundaries of existing Israeli settlements on occupied Palestinian lands, dubbed illegal by international law.
Abu Rudaina was quoted as saying that the call does not meet Palestinian negotiators’ demands that any resumption of talks should address one main principle, a Palestinian state on the 1967 borders, recognized earlier by United Nations.
The presidential official also rejected the call and said his authority would not go for those talks, unless they are comprehensive and are held within a timeframe.
Meanwhile, Tony Blair, peace envoy of the Quartet Committee for Middle East peace, produced this week his resignation from post. No further explanations were reported.
In the meantime, Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, offered this week a new initiative for peace with Arab countries. This comes after Arab states had already offered peace with Israel, based on the Arab peace initiative of 2002, land for peace formula.
In the Gaza Strip, high-ranking party leader, Saleh Zeidan, of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine, suggested that sooner, representatives for the various Gaza-based factions, will convene to expedite unity talks between the major parties, Fatah and Hamas.
For IMEMC News, I am Rami Almeghari, in Gaza.
The West Bank and Gaza Report
This week a man died in Gaza due to wounds sustained during Israeli war on Gaza last summer and in the West Bank Israeli troops conducted at least 50 military invasions and kidnapped more than 40 Palestinian civilians. IMEMC’s Eman Abedraboo-Bannoura reports:
A Palestinian man died, late on Thursday, of serious wounds suffered during Israel’s aggression on the coastal region in the summer of 2014. Local sources said that Sa’id an-Nadi, 55 years of age, remained in a critical condition until his death at the Intensive Care Unit of the al-Wafa Hospital, in Gaza. More than 2400 Palestinians, including 578 children were killed during the Israeli onslaught on Gaza, while around 11000, have been injured, and many more died of their wounds later.
Also in Gaza this week, Two Palestinian fishermen were injured on Monday morning in two separate attacks by Israeli navy targeting Palestinian fishing boats in Gaza territorial waters.
On Monday afternoon another fisherman was injured when his boat came under fire by Egypt’s navy near Gaza city shoreline.
On Wednesday, Israeli Navy ships opened fire on several Palestinian fishing boats in Gaza territorial waters, near the Beit Lahia shore, in the northern part of the coastal region. The fishers had to sail back to shore to avoid further Israeli fire.
Moreover, The Israeli Air Force carried out, on Wednesday at dawn, a series of air strikes targeting different areas of the besieged Gaza Strip. The Israeli missiles caused property damage to a number of homes and buildings, but no injuries. Israeli attack came after a missile allegedly fired from Gaza hit open area near a settlement in the Negev. No Palestinian group claimed responsibility for the attack.
Elsewhere Israeli soldiers invaded, on Wednesday at dawn, the town of Silwan, south of the Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem, and demolished an under construction Palestinian home. Family members said they started building their 80 square meter property three months ago, and never received any warning or notice from the City Council.
APalestinian boy was reported killed on Monday morning at the village of Taluza near the northern West Bank city of Nablus. Ahmad Hasayika, 16, was stabbed to death by two attackers during a family feud in his village, local sources reported. The two attackers are members of the Palestinian Authority security forces local sources said.
The two officers surrendered to the police who opened an investigation into the attack.
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 May 23rd, to the 29th, 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 by George Rishmawi and me Ghassan Bannoura.
