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Welcome to this Week in Palestine, a service of the International Middle East Media Center, www.imemc.org, for July 25th, to the 31st, 2015.
A child and a man were killed this week Israeli army and settlers’ attacks, meanwhile Israeli new law of force-feeding hunger striking political detainees draw criticism. 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. scores of protesters were treated for the effects of tear gas inhalation when Israeli troops attacked on Friday anti wall and settlements protests organized in West Bank villages. IMEMC’s Eman Abedraboo-Bannoura has more:
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 took place 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.
Protests this week were in solidarity with the family of the 18 month old baby who was killed when Israeli settlers fired bomb the family home in northern West Bank village on Thursday.
in Kufer Kadum village scores of residents and their international supporters were treated for the effects of tear gas inhalation as Israeli soldiers attacked the weekly protest organized in Kufer Kadum. Troops also fired tear gas into residents’ homes after invading the village.
In 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 Bil’in village, Israeli tear gas bombs caused a fire that destroyed a number of trees owned by local farmers.
At the village of al Ma’ssara, in the southern West Bank ,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 Eman Abedraboo-Bannoura
The Political Report
Fatah and Hamas trade accusations for the failure of forming a unity government, in the meantime, Palestinian officials criticize a recently passed Israeli law regarding Palestinian prisoners. IMEMC’s George Rishmawi with the details:
Hamas officials on Wednesday rejected demands by Fatah leadership to hand over rule of the Gaza Strip and called for an ‘uprising’ against Palestinian Authority security forces.
Fatah senior leader Azzam al-Ahmad accused Hamas of foiling efforts towards a unity government, by rejecting to hand over authority to Fatah.
Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said that the Fatah leader’s comments created tension and were untrue, blaming the failure to form a unity government on Fatah.
He added that Fatah’s calls to reform the unity government were a media maneuver, reiterating his movement’s willingness to form the government based on national consensus.
The unity government formed in June 2014 repeatedly failed to overcome divisive issues between Hamas and Fatah, and the PLO appointed a committee last month to lead negotiations for reforming the government.
Hamas officials called for a revolt against the Palestinian Authority security forces after the latter arrested around 200 of Hamas operatives in the West Bank in early July, describing it as political arrests.
Hamas leader and Member of Parliament Khalil al-Haya charged that these arrests were aimed solely at ‘assisting the occupier’ against anti-Israel fighters.
Talks between Fatah and Hamas were moving in a positive direction according to local observers, however, these arrests have increased the tension, and the two parties might go back to square one.
In other news, Dr. Hanan Ashrawi, head of the culture affairs unit at the PLO, condemned the recent Israeli Parliament law that allows Israeli military police responsible for the prisons, to force feed Palestinian political detainees on hunger strike.
In statement sent to press, she described the new law as politically supported torture and as a violation of international law.
From his part, Issa Qaraqee, head of the political detainees committee of the Palestinian Authority, deemed the new law as unethical torture.
He noted that at least 3 political detainee held by Israel have died as a result of force feeding during the hunger strikes held by Palestinian prisoners in the 1980s.
The Israeli Medical Association announced that the new law is not necessary and damaging meanwhile Physicians for Human Rights in Israel called the new law shameful.
For IMEMC News, this is George Rishmawi
The West Bank and Gaza Report
This week, Radical Israeli settlers kill a Palestinian child meanwhile Israeli troops invade West Bank communities kill a civilian and kidnap others. In Gaza Israeli navy, continue to attack Palestinian-fishing boats. IMEMC’s Majd Batajli reports:
On Thursday night, a Palestinian 18 month-old baby was killed. His mother, father and 4-year-old brother were injured when radical Israeli settlers attacked the family home in the village of Douma near the northern West Bank city of Nablus.
According to witnesses, radical settlers arrived at the village sprayed anti-Palestinian graffiti on walls then firebombed the Dawabsha family home causing a fire that killed the baby and left his family critically injured.
Later in the week, Israeli soldiers shot and killed, on Monday at dawn, a young Palestinian man in the Qalandia refugee camp, north of occupied East Jerusalem, and wounded several others. Mohammad Abu Latifa, 20 years of age, was kidnapped by soldiers before they shot him dead.
According to witnesses the soldiers first chased Mohammad, and shot him in the legs, as he was on his family’s rooftop. the Israeli military claimed that Mohammad fell from the rooftop while the soldiers were trying to arrest him.
Palestinian security sources also said Abu Latifa was alive when the soldiers abducted him. In addition, soldiers shot and injured two young men during the invasion into the refugee camp. Also on Monday, one child was injured by Israeli troops during invasions and homes searches targeting the southern West Bank district of Hebron.
Moreover, a number of Israeli radicals attacked, on Tuesday at noon, an elderly Palestinian woman while walking near an Israeli illegal colony, in Ras al-‘Amoud neighborhood, in occupied East Jerusalem. Medical sources said Sara Nibali, 85, suffered various cuts and bruises due to the attack.
Also this week, Israeli troops conducted at least 40 invasions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank. During these attacks Israeli troops searched a ransacked dozens of homes and kidnaped at least 37 Palestinian civilians including 5 children.
in Gaza this week, a number of Israeli navy ships opened fire, on Tuesday morning, on a number of Palestinian fishing boats north of Gaza City.
Eyewitnesses said the navy fired several rounds of live ammunition on the fishing boats, causing damage but no injuries. The fishers had to sail back to shore to avoid further assaults.
For IMEMC News this is Majd Batjali.
Conclusion
And that’s all for today from This Week in Palestine. This was the Weekly report for July 25th, to the 31st, 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 Maher Qasiess and me Ghassan Bannoura.
