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Welcome to this Week in Palestine, a service of the International Middle East Media Center, www.imemc.org, for February 20, to the 26, 2016.
Palestinian hunger striking journalist detained by Israel wins his release; in the meantime a youth was killed by Israeli army gunfire 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. one youth and a journalist were injured, in addition scores of protesters were treated for the effects of tear gas inhalation as Israeli troops attacked nonviolent protests organized in West Bank villages. IMEMC’s Majd Batjali with the details :
One Palestinian was shot with a sponge-tipped bullet, Friday, and many suffered the effects of teargas inhalation, after Israeli soldiers assaulted the weekly nonviolent protest against the Wall and settlements, in Ni’lin village, west of Ramallah.
Also near Ramallah, a Journalist working for Kuwaiti TV was injured and many others were treated for the effects of tear gas inhalation when troops attack the weekly anti wall and settlement protest in Bil’in village.
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 Kufer Kadum in northern West Bank, one youth was hit in the head with a tear gas bomb meanwhile 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 into residents homes,
Israeli soldiers attacked, Friday, dozens of Palestinians, accompanied by Israeli and international peace activists, holding a nonviolent protest, demanding Israel to reopen the Shuhada Street, in Hebron’s Old city. The attack caused several injuries due to tear gas inhalation.
Israel closed the Shuhada Street in 1991 after Israeli terrorist Baruch Goldstein stormed the Ibrahimi mosque and opened fire on the worshipers, using his Israeli-issued automatic rifle, before the worshipers managed to kill him.
By the end of the year 2000, Israel prohibited the Palestinians from even walking in the Shuhada Street, and only allowed the nearly 600 settlers, who illegally reside there, to use the street. Israel also closed more than 500 Palestinian stores in the heart of Hebron city, and installed at least 100 roadblocks, and iron gates, in the Old city, while the settlers have unrestricted freedom of movement.
For IMEMC News this Majd Batjali.
The Political Report
Various Palestinian bodies denounced the assassination of a Palestinian man in Bulgaria this week. At the political front, talks between rival Hamas and Fatah parties are underway, in an attempt to reach a unity deal. IMEMC’s Rami Al Meghari has more:
Senior Hamas leader in Gaza, Ismail Haniya, said Friday that his party is keen to reach a unity deal with the rival Fatah party of Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas, on basis of partnership.
Haniya was speaking Friday ,to crowds of supporters in the southern Gaza Strip city of Rafah, hours after news reports suggested killing of a Palestinian man at the Palestinian Authority’s embassy in Bulgaria.
The Hamas’s figure believed that a shortfall on security arrangements was the reason behind the killing. Omar Alnayef, 51, was found killed earlier on Friday. The victim is linked with the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine and was reported to have been wanted by Israel.
In the meantime, unity talks between the rival Hamas and Fatah parties have been resumed in the Qatari capital of Doha. The talks are intended at cociliation and are meant to end an eight-year-long split between the two major Palestinian parties.
In other news, Israeli cabinet has been discussing possibilities to set up a sea port for the coastal Gaza enclave. Establishing a sea port was referred to during Egyptian-mediated ceasefire talks of 2014’s Israeli war on Gaza, between Israel and the Islamist Hamas party.
For Imemc News, I am Rami Almeghari in Gaza.
The West Bank and Gaza Report
This week one youth was killed more than 20 others injured during army attacks targeting Palestinian protesters in the West Bank. Meanwhile in Gaza a child was killed by an unknown explosion. IMEMC’s Ghassan Bannoura Reports:
A Palestinian youth was killed on Friday by Israeli army gunfire during clashes near the illegal Israeli settlement of Beit Eil at the northern entrance of Ramallah city in central West Bank. The Palestinian health ministry did not name the youth until the time of this report. At least 20 Palestinian were injured on Friday during clashes between Palestinian youth and Israeli troops all over the West Bank.
Earlier in the week, a group of unknown gunmen assassinated a former political prisoner and a senior security leader, in Sielet al-Harethiyya town, south of the northern West Bank city of Jenin. Ayman Jaradat, 40, was shot and seriously injured, and died from his wounds in the Jenin governmental hospital. Jaradat was held by the Israeli army for 23 years before he was released under the Shalit Prison Swap Agreement.
Moreover, this week Israeli forces conducted at least 75 military invasions targeting West Bank communities. During these invasions Israeli troops kidnapped at least 86 Palestinian civilians, including 19 children.
In other news, a deal was reached between hunger-striking Palestinian journalist, Mohamed Al Qieq lawyers and the Israeli army to release him in March 2016. The deal ended Al Qieq’s 94 days of hunger strike he began last November shortly after being kidnapped from his home in Hebron city by Israeli troops.
Al Qieq, who is a Palestinian journalist working for Saudi TV station, was protesting Israel’s administrative dentation, a policy the army uses to keep Palestinians in military prisoners for long time without charges to trial.
The deal says that Al Qieq will be released in March 21 and that Palestinian doctors will supervise his recovery in the Israeli hospital he is being held at.
Elsewhere, a Palestinian child was killed and another seriously injured, on Friday, after an explosive device detonated in the Jabalia area of the northern Gaza Strip. Moreover, eight youth were injured by Israeli live gunfire, one seriously, when Israeli troops attacked on Friday protesters near the Israeli Gaza borders.
Earlier in the week, Israeli troops opened fire at Palestinian farmers close to the southern borders of the Gaza Strip on Sunday and Tuesday of this week. The army gunfire forced farmers to leave their lands. Moreover, on Wednesday and Thursday of this week, Israeli navy attacked Palestinian fishing boats near Gaza city shoreline forcing fishermen to go back to shore. Damage to some boats was reported.
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 February 20, to the 26, 2016. From the Occupied Palestinian Territories. For more news and updates please visit our website at www-dot-imemc-dot-org, This week’s report has been brought to you by Maher Qasiess and me Eman Abedraboo- Bannoura.
