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Welcome to this Week in Palestine, a service of the International Middle East Media Center, www.imemc.org, for March 5, to the 11, 2016.
Israeli troops kill seven Palestinians during separate attacks this week, meanwhile France retreats the importance of a peace deal. 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 children were 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 Majd Batjali with the details :
This week protests were organized in the villages of Bil’in, Ni’lin and al Nabi Saleh in central West Bank, and in the northern West Bank village of Kufer Kadum.
Two children were injured after being shot by Israeli soldiers as they attacked protesters in al Nabi Saleh village. Medical sources said the soldiers shot Mohammad Tamimi, 9, with a gas bomb in his abdomen. Another child was shot with a rubber-coated steel bullet in his cheek.
Also 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.
Meanwhile 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 supporters at the village entrance. Many residents suffered the effects of tea gas inhalation.
For IMEMC News this Majd Batjali.
The Political Report
This week, Both Egypt and France agrees on the significance of a peaceful settlement for the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. IMEMC’s Rami Al Meghari has more:
Egyptian and French ministers of foreign affairs met in Cairo this week. Both high-ranking officials agreed that is rather imperative to reach a peaceful settlement in the Middle East that would in turn end the Israeli-Arab conflict from one part and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, from the other part.
Sameh Shukry, Egyptian foreign minister, emphasized on the Palestinian people’s right to a Palestinian state on the 1967 borders, especially key world countries support a two-state solution.
Jean-Marc Ayrault, French foreign minister, from his part, reaffirmed his country’s initiative for peace between Palestinians and Israelis. Yet, he made clear that in case Israel would not accept that initiative, France would not likely go ahead in efforts.
Palestinian-Israeli peace process has been halted due to Israeli settlements building on occupied West Bank and Arab East Jerusalem.
Palestinians demand halt of that building, while Israel insists on going back to negotiations table, non-conditionally.
Palestinian Authority had earlier secured an international recognition of a non-member state at the United Nations.
Recently, the PA has been garnering support for holding an international peace process that would solve the issue, on basis of relevant international legitimacy resolutions and the two-state vision, backed by Washington, years ago.
In the meantime, former Egyptian foreign minister, Ahmad Abuelgheit, officially became Secretary of Arab States league, in succession of Nabil Alaraby.
Abuelgheit stated that he would start dealing with various problems in the region, including the Palestinian one.
For IMEMC News, I am Rami Almeghari in Gaza.
The West Bank and Gaza Report
This week, Israeli troops killed seven Palestinians in shooting incidents and kidnaped more than 80 other during invasions targeting West Bank communities. In Gaza troops continued to attack farmers. IMEMC’s Ghassan Bannoura Report:
Five Palestinians were shot dead by Israeli troops on Tuesday allegedly carrying out separate attacks in Israel and occupied East Jerusalem, killing one American tourist and wounding at least 12 Israelis, on Tuesday afternoon and evening.
In the first deadly encounter, shortly before 5 p.m., an Israeli police spokesperson said that a Palestinian man was shot dead after he allegedly stabbed and wounded an Israeli man near Petah Tikva, about seven miles east of Tel Aviv. Minutes later, another Palestinian was shot dead after allegedly firing gunshots at Israeli police forces near Salah al-Din Street. in occupied East Jerusalem, injuring two Israeli officers, one critically.
Shortly after 6 p.m., Israeli police reported a third attack near the port in the Israeli city of Jaffa, with a young Palestinian man shot dead after he stabbed an American tourist to death and wounded at least nine Israelis.
On Tuesday morning, Israeli soldiers killed a Palestinian woman in Jerusalem’s Old City after the army claimed that she tried to stab soldiers. Troops prevented Palestinian medics from approaching the seriously injured woman, who died of her wounds. On Tuesday midday a Palestinian man was also shot dead by Israeli troops near the old city after he allegedly tried to stab soldiers.
Later in the week, Israeli soldiers killed, on Wednesday morning, two Palestinians in Jerusalem, one Israeli was injured, in two separate attacks in the city. Israeli sources said that the two Palestinians reportedly rammed an Israeli with their car, near Bab al-‘Amoud area, in Jerusalem, seriously wounding him.
The sources added that the two Palestinians were also behind a shooting attack, carried out earlier on Wednesday, near the illegal Israeli settlement of “Ramat Shlomo” northwest of Jerusalem.
Also this week, Israeli forces conducted more than 85 military invasions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank. During these invasions Israeli troops kidnapped 80 Palestinian civilians, including 52 children.
In the Gaza Strip, medical sources said the soldiers shot, and seriously injured, a Palestinian in his land, close to the border fence, east of the al-Boreij refugee camp, in Central Gaza. The sources said the wounded Palestinian was instantly moved to the al-Aqsa hospital, in Deir al-Balah, in Central Gaza suffering serious wounds to the upper part of his body.
Later in the week, The Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of the Hamas movement, has reported Wednesday that one of its fighters was killed in what it called “training and preparation accident,” in central Gaza.
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 March 5, to the 11, 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 George Rishmawi and me Eman Abedraboo- Bannoura.
