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Welcome to this Week in Palestine, a service of the International Middle East Media Center, www.imemc.org, for August 8th, to the 14th, 2015.
UNRWA’s financial crises hampers Palestinian children school year, meanwhile Israeli attacks leave two killed civilians this week. 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, scores were treated for the effects of tear gas inhalation when Israeli troops attacked nonviolent protests organized in West Bank villages. IMEMC’s Majd Batjali with the details:
At the village of Kufer Kadum in northern West Bank many residents were treated for the effects of tear gas inhalation as Israeli troops attacked the weekly protest there. Troops later stormed the village and fired tear gas and chemical water into residents homes.
Meanwhile in the villages of Bil’in and Ni’lin, in central West Bank, 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, troops attacked protesters at the village entrance. Israeli soldiers fired several rounds of rubber-coated steel bullets and tear gas at protesters and nearby homes. Many residents suffered effects of tear gas inhalation as a result.
In 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 village entrance and forced them back. No injuries were reported.
For IMEMC News this Majd Batjali.
The Political Report
Despite 35 Million Dollar Saudi gift, UNRWA’s financial crises still threatening new school year for hundreds of thousands of Palestinian refugees, and Israeli settler terrorism is on the rise, these and more with IMEMCs George Rishmawi:
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has announced that it will provide $35 million dollars to the UN agency for Palestinian refugees in a bid to avert a financial crisis within the organization. Despite that, the UN agency insists that it needs no less then 101 million dollar to be able to resume its activities.
UNRWA’s Commissioner-General Pierre Krahenbuhl said ‘Education for Palestine refugee boys and girls is a right that we defend with our utmost energy. I must state again that the risk of a delay to our school year remains real unless we can cover our $101 million deficit in the coming days.” He called the Saudi donation as a strong message of solidarity with Palestinian refugees.
Last week, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon raised alarm over a $100 million shortfall in funding for the UN aid agency for Palestinian refugees and called for urgent donations.
He called upon all donors to urgently ensure that the required funds be contributed to UNRWA at the earliest possible date so that the children of Palestine can begin their 2015-2016 school year without delay.
In the meantime, a number of Israeli settler attacks against Palestinian civilians and property were reported in different parts of the West Bank raising serious questions about the Israeli government’s lack of actions to stop such attacks.
Israeli Human Rights Organization B’tselem said the lack of accountability encourages the settlers to attack Palestinians.
B’tselem said, “As the occupying force, Israel must protect the Palestinians in the West Bank. However, the Israeli authorities neglect to fulfill this responsibility and do not do enough to prevent Israeli civilians from attacking Palestinians, their property and their lands. The undeclared policy of the Israeli authorities in response to these attacks is lenient and conciliatory. Perpetrators are rarely tried, and many cases are not investigated at all or are closed with no operative conclusions.”
In the meantime, a British petition demanding the arrest of the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, upon his arrival in the UK next month, went viral in just a few days.
As of the time of this report around 54,000 British people signed the petition, and the numbers are dramatically rising.
The British government is expected to respond to the demand as all petitions that get more than 100,000 signatures should be seen into, according to law.
For IMEMC News, this is George Rishmawi
The West Bank and Gaza Report
This week Israeli attacks targeting West Bank communities, left two killed civilians and two others injured. Meanwhile in the Gaza strip Israeli navy continue to attack fishermen. IMEMC’s Ghassan Bannoura reports:
Thousands of Palestinians participated, on Saturday evening, in the funeral procession and ceremony of Sa’ad Dawabsha who died Saturday of serious burns and injuries resulting from the Israeli terrorist attack on his family home, leading to the death of his baby, Ali, last month.
Dawabsha’s body was moved from an Israeli hospital to the northern West Bank city of Nablus, before being sent to his village, Douma, where his funeral and burial ceremonies were held.
Ali, the 18-month of age baby, was burnt to death in the terrorist attack on his family home by Isralei settlers, while his mother Reham, 27 years of age, suffered burns to 90% of her body, and his brother Ahmad, 5 years of age, suffered second-degree burns to 60% of his body. On Monday, Israeli doctors said that Reham maybe brain dead and she not breathing on her own.
At the village of Kutnah near Jerusalem, hundreds of residents joined on Monday afternoon family members and friends in the funeral of Anas Taha, 20, who was killed by Israeli soldiers on Sunday. Israeli soldiers shot and killed Taha in an Israeli gas station near Mode’em illegal settlement near Ramallah city.
Troops claimed he tried to stab Israeli settlers. According to family members, Taha was released from Israeli army detention centers at the beginning of the year. He was assassinated by the army and did not try to kill settlers, the family said.
On Tuesday, Jewish Israeli settlers, at dawn on Tuesday, used molotov cocktails in an attempt to set fire to a public park in the northern West Bank village of Qaryut. Local Palestinian sources said that a number of settlers arrived in three vehicles at 2 am and threw several molotov cocktails into the park before fleeing the scene.
Residents of the nearby village of Beita said that settlers tried to carry out a separate attack there, but locals noticed them and managed to quell the attack.
Later in the week, two Palestinian youth were injured and twelve were kidnapped by Israeli troops on Thursday during Israeli army invasions targeting West Bank communities. According to medical sources, two youth sustained moderate injuries during clashes that erupted with invading troops at the town of Al Doha near Bethlehem city. Both were moved to Bethlehem city hospital for treatment.
In the Gaza Strip this week, Israeli naval forces on Monday morning, detained two Palestinian fishermen off the coast of Gaza City, the secretary-general of Gaza’s fishing union said. According to fishermen, the Israeli gunboats approached their fishing boats while they were sailing within the six nautical mile fishing zone.
Moreover, an Israeli navy ship attacked on Wednesday morning a Palestinian fishing boat off the coast of Gaza City. According to fishermen they were sailing within the 6 nautical mills off shore when they were attacked by Israeli navy heavy gunfire. No injuries were reported but the boat sustained damage.
Palestinian fishermen face daily risks in order to make a living, including routine harassment from Israeli naval forces, confiscation of boats and materials, detention, and potentially death. At least three Palestinian fishermen have been shot dead by Israeli forces since last September.
For IMEMC news this is Ghassan Bannoura.
Conclusion
And that’s all for today from This Week in Palestine. This was the Weekly report for August 8th, to the 14th, 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 Eman Abedraboo-Bannoura.
