Welcome to this Week in Palestine, a service of the International Middle East Media Center, www.imemc.org, for January 14, to the 20, 2017.
This week, Israel welcomes Donald Trump with plans to build more new settlement, meanwhile Israeli attacks leave three Palestinians killed 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. This week six were abducted many others treated for the effects of tear gas inhalation as Israeli troops attacked anti wall and settlements protests organized in West Bank villages. IMEMC’s Majd Batjali has more:
This week protests were organized in the villages of Bil’in and Ni’lin in central West Bank, and in the northern West Bank village of Kufer Kadum.
in Kufer Kadum 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.
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.
Also on Friday Dozens of Palestinian peace activists, along with Israeli and international supporters, gathered in East Jerusalem Friday to erect tents and try to re-establish the peace village Bab al-Shams that was built in 2013 and destroyed that same year by Israeli forces.
Israeli troops attacked the peaceful protesters forced them away and abducted six of them. Soldiers also attacked journalists and detained live broadcast cars.
For IMEMC news this is Majd Batjali
The Political Report
As Donald Trump assumes office in Washington, Israelis are welcoming him with plans to build more new settlement units in the West Bank, IMEMCs George Rishmawi with the details:
American flags are waving at the entrances of illegal Israeli settlements of the Gush Etzion settlement bloc in the southern part of the West Bank as Donald Trump is inaugurated today the new President of the United States.
The Israeli government is expected to approve the construction of 2700 new settlement units in these settlements. A source at the Settlements Council has reportedly said that Netanyahu told the settlers during the past 8 years that somebody in the white house would not allow them to build new settlements, but now there is a new president who they hope will help them build more settlements.
The same source said that the settlers are in direct contact with the new American Administration and that there is a delegation in Washington attending the inauguration of Trump.
Since the United Nations passed the resolution 2334 which affirms that the establishment of settlements by Israel in the Palestinian territories occupied in 1967 has no legal ground and is a violation of international humanitarian law, Israel has boosted the construction of new settlement units in various locations in the occupied West Bank.
In the meantime, Palestinian organized several rallies protesting Trump’s intention to move the US Embassy to Jerusalem. Last week Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas said the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) would rescind its recognition of Israel has Trump moved the embassy to Jerusalem.
Although there is no clear official statement from the White House that the American Administration is going to move the US Embassy to Jerusalem, Trump and some of his advisors have mentioned that they want to move the embassy, an issue that would cause serious unrest in the occupied Palestinian territories including East Jerusalem.
According to the Israeli daily newspaper Haaretz, Israeli security and intelligence services has briefed Netanyahu and senior ministers with scenarios of worsening violence should Trump announce the relocation of the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
Yet according to Haaretz Netanyahu has not received any official statement regarding an embassy move.
For IMEMC News, this is George Rishmawi
The West Bank and Gaza Report
Three Palestinians were killed this week in the West Bank by Israeli gunfire meanwhile in Gaza a child injured and fishermen abducted as the army continue attacking the coastal region. IMEMC’s Ghassan Bannoura reports:
Israeli soldiers shot and killed, on Monday evening, a Palestinian teen, and injured at least four others, after several army vehicles invaded Teqoua’ town, southeast of Bethlehem and clashed with local residents. Medical sources at the Beit Jala governmental hospital in Bethlehem, said Qussai Hasan al-‘Amour, 17, was killed after the soldiers shot him with three live rounds in the chest, and three other rounds in his limbs.
On Tuesday, The army shot and killed, a Palestinian man at a military roadblock, west of Tulkarem, in the northern part of the occupied West Bank. Palestinian medical sources said the man has been identified as Nidal Mahdawi, 44 from Tulkarem.
The Israeli army claimed that the Palestinian was trying to cross roadblock #104, and that he “attempted to stab the soldiers, before they shot him.” There have been no reports of injuries among the soldiers. A video of the incident shows the man standing still behind a pole, when a soldier fired a round near him; Mahdawi started walking towards the soldiers who fired several other rounds, and then he started running towards them before they fired the fatal shots.
Also on Tuesday, a Palestinian child was injured on midday when she was hit by a speeding car driving by an Israeli settler in Hebron city, northern West Bank. Liyan Al Razam, 5, was moved to the Ahli Hospital in Hebron city after sustaining moderate injuries after being hit by the settler car.
Later in the week, Dozens of Israeli soldiers and officers, accompanied by several armored vehicles and bulldozers, invaded Umm al-Hiran village, in the Negev, and started demolishing homes and structures, before the police killed Yacoub Abu al-Qee’an, 47, allegedly after ramming his car into officers, killing one. Many were injured, including Arab Members of Knesset.
Locals at the scene denied the Israeli allegation, and said Abu al-Qee’an, a known mathematics teacher, did not intentionally struck the officer with his car, and that he just lost control of his vehicle after the police fired at it.
Also this week, Israeli forces conducted at least 60 military invasions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank and occupied Jerusalem. During these incursions, Israeli troops abducted at least 62 Palestinian civilians, including 17 children.
In Gaza this week, a five year old child was injured on Friday when Israeli soldiers opened fire at Palestinian homes close to the border fence in the town of Beit Lahyia northern Gaza Strip. Remas Hamdonah was moved to hospital after being hit in her abdomen by an Israeli bullet. Doctors said the child sustained critical wounds.
Earlier in the week, Israeli navy ships attacked, in two separate incidents on Monday, several Palestinian fishing boats, in Gaza territorial waters, in Beit Lahia, in the northern part of the Gaza Strip, and abducted five fishermen. Moreover Israeli navy opened fire at Palestinian fishing boats north of Gaza city shoreline on Thursday. No injuries were 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 January 14, to the 20, 2017. 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 Sa’ed Naji and me Eman Abedraboo-Bannoura.
