Welcome to this Week in Palestine, a service of the International Middle East Media Center, www.imemc.org, for January 28, to February 03, 2017.
Amidst international condemnation, Israel this week goes ahead with more settlement construction in the West Bank, in the meantime Israeli army attacks leave one Palestinian killed. 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 scores of protesters were 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.
Later, the soldiers broke into the yard of a local home and used it as a military post, and a firing zone to target the protesters, including youngsters who hurled stones at the invading army vehicles.
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.
For IMEMC news this is Majd Batjali
The Political Report
Despite UN resolution and International condemnation, Israel this week is moving ahead with plans to build new settlement units in the occupied West Bank, IMEMC’s George Rishmawi with the details:
The Israeli government once again ignored the International community’s condemnation and the UN Security Council resolution concerning building more settlements in the West Bank and announced the intention to build new settlement units this week.
On Wednesday, Israel said it would establish a new settlement in the occupied West Bank, the first since the late 1990s. It also announced plans for 3,000 more settlement homes in the West Bank, the third such declaration in less than two weeks since US president Donald Trump took office.
Israel also announced a week ago that it would build some 2,500 more settlement units in the West Bank. Such announcement drew rebukes from the Palestinians and the European Union as well.
Meanwhile, the Trump administration said on Thursday that Israel’s building of new settlements or expansion of existing ones in occupied territories may not be helpful in achieving peace with Palestinians, adopting a more measured tone than its previous pro-Israel announcements.
In a statement issued two weeks before Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is due to visit Trump, the White House said the administration “has not taken an official position on settlement activity.”
Also, France condemned Israel’s plans to construct new settlement units. The French Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement answering a question about the impact of Israel’s ongoing settlement activity on the peace process, that it condemns this decision and reaffirms that settlement activities are in violation of international law, notably United Nations Security Council resolution 2334, and seriously undermine the prospects for just and lasting peace.
Such decision by the Israeli government ridiculed the evacuation of the Israeli outpost Amona, in the northern West Bank.
The Israeli military and police completed evacuating settlers from the illegal outpost of Amona in compliance with the Israeli government decision on January 31. Hundreds of settler youths streamed into the outpost to fight the court-ordered evacuation.
Amona, built on private Palestinian land, was ordered evacuated by the High Court of Justice in 2014, but dates for its evacuation have been pushed back repeatedly until a final date was set to February 8. Amona is one of four outposts that were ordered to be evacuated in preparation for the Unilateral disengagement from the Gaza Strip in 2005 ordered by the then Israeli Prime Minister, Ariel Sharon.
For IMEMC News, this is George Rishmawi
The West Bank and Gaza Report
Israeli gunfire leave one killed, two injured Palestinians in the West Bank and another injured youth in Gaza this week. IMEMC’s Ghassan Bannoura reports:
Israeli soldiers shot and killed, on Sunday morning, a Palestinian teen, and wounded at least three others, during clashes that took place after several Israeli military vehicles invaded the Jenin refugee camp, in the northern West Bank district of Jenin.
Medical sources in Jenin said the young man, Mohammad Mahmoud Abu Khalifa, 19, was shot with a live round in his back, while three other Palestinians were injured, and were all moved to the Jenin Governmental Hospital.
Moreover, Israeli settlers have reportedly injured a Palestinian man while throwing stones at Palestinian vehicles traveling on the main road between the occupied West Bank cities of Ramallah and Nablus, on Monday afternoon, local sources said. Nahed Qabaha was wounded when Israeli settlers threw stones at his minibus. He was taken to a hospital for treatment. Ten Palestinian vehicles were damaged by the settlers’ stones, local sources added.
Also on Monday, A Palestinian youth sustained injuries in his leg after he was shot by Israeli soldiers at Jebara checkpoint, south of Tulkarem, northern occupied West Bank. According to local sources, Israeli forces opened fire on the youth, aged 19, while he was working in the area. The youth was taken to Thabet Thabet hospital, in Tulkarem, for treatment, and medics described his injuries as “moderate.”
During the week, Israeli forces conducted at least 74 military invasions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank and occupied Jerusalem. During these invasions, Israeli troops abducted at least 43 Palestinian civilians, including a child.
In Gaza, Israeli soldiers shot, Friday, a Palestinian teen with live fire, during clashes that took place between many youngsters and the soldiers, stationed across the border fence, in central Gaza.
The 16-year-old was hit with a live round in the abdomen, before local medics moved him to the Al-Aqsa Hospital. Eyewitnesses said the soldiers were heavily deployed across the border fence in the area, and fired many live rounds, rubber-coated steel bullets and gas bombs, at many protesters who marched in the area.
Earlier in the week, Israeli gunboats stationed off the north-western Gaza Strip shore opened heavy machinegun fire at Palestinian fishing boats and forced them back to shore. 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 28, to February 03, 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.
