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Welcome to this Week in Palestine, a service of the International Middle East Media Center, www.imemc.org, for June 6th, to the 12th, 2015.
This week Israeli military attacks left one Palestinian killed and two critically injured, meanwhile the Palestinian leadership rejected new set of Israeli conditions for resumption of peace talks. 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. Two protesters were critically injured by Israeli troops’ gunfire, scores others suffered effects of tear gas inhalation on Friday when Israeli forces attacked nonviolent protests organized in West Bank villages. IMEMC’s Anna Paulina with the details:
This week protesters were organized in the villages of Bil’in, Ni’lin and al Nabi Saleh in central West Bank, in the northern West Bank village of Kufer Kadum in addition to al Ma’ssara village in southern West Bank.
Five residents were injured, two critically, as Israeli troops attacked the weekly protest organized by the villagers of Kufer Kadum. Troops fired live rounds, mushroom bullets and tear gas at protesters and their suporters at the village entrance. Soldiers also fired at residents homes live rounds and tear gas.
According to local sources Mohamed Majed, 20 was injured in his abdomen and chest by Israeli live gunfire during the protest, moreover Ibraheem Mussa, 38, was hit in his chest by a mushroom bullet fired by Israeli soldiers while he was inside his home. Many other residents were also treated for the effects of tear gas inhalation.
In central West Bank, at the villages of Bil’in and Ni’lin, Israeli soldiers attacked the protesters as soon as they reached the gate in the wall that separates local farmers from their lands. Many protesters suffered the effects of tear gas inhalation and were treated by field medics at both locations.
At the nearby 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. Moreover Israeli troops fired tear gas at residential areas causing damage to homes. Many residents suffered effects of tear gas inhalation as a result.
Also on Friday at the village of al Ma’ssara near the southern West Bank city of Bethlehem, soldiers attacked villagers and their international supporters as soon as they reached the entrance of the village and forced them back. No injuries were reported.
For IMEMC News this Anna Paulina.
The Political Report
This week Palestinians reject Israeli conditions for resumption of peace talks. Meanwhile a report by World Bank indicate that the Gaza Strip is on the brink of collapse due to Israeli ongoing siege since 2007. IMEMC’s Rami Al Meghari has more:
Top Palestinian negotiator, Saeb Eriqat, rejected vehemently new Israeli conditions for resumption of peace talks with the Palestinian Authority.
Eriqat was quoted as saying that it is impossible to exclude contentious negotiations profiles, such as the occupied East Jerusalem and illegal Israeli settlements.
He also said that Israel cannot maintain control over air space and territorial waters, in case an agreement is reached.
The man hinted at the fact that United Nations did not include Israel on terrorists’ list, saying that Israel had killed more than 350 Palestinian children in Gaza, during last year’s Israeli aggression on the territory.
In the meantime, a recent report by the World Bank suggested that Gaza Strip is on the brink of collapse, unless Israel reopens border crossings and Arab countries prompt help the 1.8 million residents of the region.
At the internal Palestinian level, efforts are underway to bring both Fatah and Hamas back to negotiations table, for reaching a national unity, much needed for the reconstruction of the war-torn Gaza Strip and the relief of the people, here.
For IMEMC News, I am Rami Almeghari in Gaza
The West Bank and Gaza Report
This week, Israeli forces conducted at least 77 military incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. During these invasions, Israeli forces killed one civilian and kidnapped at least 53 Palestinians, including 7 children from the West Bank. Fourteen of these Palestinians, including 6 children, were kidnapped from East Jerusalem. IMEMC’s Eman Abedraboo-Bannoura has the story:
Israeli soldiers shot and killed a Palestinian man on Wednesday at dawn, during an invasion targeting the Jenin refugee camp, in the northern West Bank district of Jenin. Medical sources in Jenin said the soldiers fired several rounds of live ammunition at Ezzeddin Bani Ghafrra, in his twenties, directly hitting him in the chest causing instant death.
The soldiers also fired rounds of live ammunition, gas bombs and rubber-coated metal bullets, in addition to several flares, during clashes that took place with local youths. Many Palestinians also suffered the effects of tear gas inhalation after the soldiers fired gas bombs into their homes.
A Palestinian man was injured on Thursday midday when a group of Israeli radical settlers attacked him in Jerusalem. Local sources said that the radical settlers attacked Shadi Abedraboo at his work place located at a shopping center in West Jerusalem. Abedraboo sustained moderate wounds and was moved to a nearby Israeli hospital for treatment, local sources announced.
This is the second attack this week by radical settlers targeting Palestinians in Jerusalem. On Tuesday, Israeli fanatics attacked, a 13-year-old child, and his 10-year-old sister, as they were walking towards the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem’s old city, to participate in a summer camp.
Elsewhere, Israeli soldiers invaded, on Wednesday morning, eight Dunams (around 2 acres) of farmland in the al-‘Isawiyya town, in occupied East Jerusalem, demolished several structures, and uprooted fruit and olive trees. The Palestinian landowners said this is part of the larger E1 settlement plan that is aimed at the illegal confiscation of large areas of Palestinian lands to complete the chain of illegal settlements around Jerusalem.
Also in Jerusalem this week, Israeli soldiers invaded, on Tuesday morning, the al-Khalayla neighborhood in the al-Jeeb town, northwest of occupied East Jerusalem, and demolished three Palestinian industrial structures.
The owners of the structures filed construction permits to the City Council more than four years ago, and paid at least 50.000 NIS to obtain all needed permits and documents. ocal sources said that this is the fourth time the soldiers demolish the blacksmith workshop that provides livelihood to more than twenty Palestinians, while the cars workshop provides livelihood to three families.
In the Gaza Strip this week, several armored Israeli military vehicles, and bulldozers, conducted, on Wednesday morning, a limited invasion into Palestinian agricultural lands, east of the al-Qarara town, northeast of Khan Younis, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip.
Military drones were also flying overhead, while the invading soldiers fired dozens of rounds of live ammunition to force the Palestinians out of their lands.
On Friday, Israeli Navy ships opened fire on a number of Palestinian fishing boats, approximately 4 nautical miles away from the Gaza shore. The attack forced the fishers back to shore, to avoid further 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 June 6th, to the 12th, 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.
