Welcome to this Week in Palestine, a service of the International Middle East Media Center, www.imemc.org, for April 22, to the 28, 2017.
As calls made this week to save the lives of Palestinian political detainee held by Israeli who are on hunger strike, army attack on solidarity protests leave scores of civilians injured. 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. six protesters were injured, many others were treated for the effects of tear gas inhalation on Friday, as Israeli troops attacked anti wall and settlements protests organized in West Bank villages. IMEMC’s Majd Batjali has more:
This week anti wall and settlements protests were organized in the central West Bank villages of Bil’in, Ni’lin. In addition to the village of Kufer Qadum in northern West Bank. Israeli soldiers used live rounds, tear gas and rubber-coated steel bullets against the unarmed protesters.
The protests this week were in solidarity with hunger striking Palestinian political detainee held by the Israeli army. At least 1500 Palestinian political detainee went on hunger strike on April 17th, protest ill-treatment by their captives.
Six youth were hit with rubber-coated steel bullets meanwhile, scores others were treated for the effects of tear gas inhalation as Israeli soldiers attacked the weekly protest organized in Kufer Kadum village. Troops also fired tear gas into residents’ homes after invading the village.
In Bil’in and Ni’lin, protesters managed to reach the Israeli wall. Israeli troops fired several rounds of rubber-coated steel bullets at the villagers as soon as they reached the Israeli wall separating local farmers from their lands.
For IMEMC News this is Majd Batjali
The Political Report
This week, the hunger strike of the Palestinian prisoners in Israeli army jails continue for the eleventh day, calls to the international community are sent to save their lives. IMEMC’s George Rishmawi with the details:
More than 1500 Palestinians prisoners in Israeli jails have started a hunger strike on April 17 2017 setting a list of demands from the Israeli authorities. Among the demands of the hunger-striking prisoners are better medical services and more family visitations and better transfer vans in addition to better access to education and ability to sit for exams while in jail and ending the administrative detention policy.
The coordination committee of the activities in support of the prisoners’ strike, which was dubbed “the Dignity Strike” announced a set of activities in different parts of the West Bank and Gaza Strip, including a general strike on Thursday where all the shops, schools, university and official departments were closed in solidarity with the striking prisoners.
As the strike enters its twelfth day, Several prisoners started facing health issues, among them, Marwan Barghouthi, who is serving 5 life terms in Israeli jails. Palestinian officials said the health of Barghouti, who has been leading a hunger strike since is “dangerously deteriorating.”
Media Committee for the Palestinian Prisoner Hunger Strike reportedly said that Barghouti has declined medical treatment. On the other hand, the administration of the Kishon prison where Barghouthi is jailed now denied their knowledge of any deterioration on Barghouthi’s health. The Times of Israel online paper reported that Prisons Service spokesman has said “The hunger strike is his choice. If he does not feel well, then he can eat.”
Such statement comes in line with statements made by the Israeli Minister of Defense Avigdore Lieberman last week. Lieberman has called for a policy of non-negotiation with the hunger-striking Palestinian prisoners, following the lead of former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher’s policy in dealing with Irish Catholic hunger strikers in 1981, who publicly refused to accede to the demands of IRA hunger strikers in 1981, 10 of whom have died in the strike.
In its attempts to foil the strike, the Israeli Prison Service (IPS) has transferred a number of key figures to other jails. At least 40 Palestinian prisoners were transferred from the Negev-area Nafha, Rimon and Ketziot prisons to the Ohalai Keidar prison in Beersheba Thursday morning.
These transfers are meant to reduce the level of coordination among the prisoners in order to bring this strike to a quick end, however, it seems that the strike will continue despite the Israeli government’s blind eye. For IMEMC News, this is George Rishmawi
The West Bank and Gaza Report
This week, dozens of civilians were injured as Israeli attack protesters in the West Bank meanwhile army tanks attacks areas in Gaza. IMEMC’s Eman Abedraboo-Bannoura Reports:
At least 20 Palestinian civilians were injured this week as Israeli troops attacked solidarity protests all over the West Bank. Protests and solidarity tents were organized in all west Bank and Gaza cities in support of the Palestinian political detainees on hunger strike.
So far, around 1500 detainees are ongoing with the hunger strike which started on April 17th, while waves of detainees are preparing to join. They are demanding basic, internationally-guaranteed rights that have been continuously and systematically taken away from them by the Israeli army.
According to Palestinian medical sources three children were among those injured by the Israeli army attack on protests.
On Friday 17 Palestinians were injured when clashes erupted between Palestinian protesters and Israeli troops in different parts of the West Bank. In Hebron city, southern West Bank Israeli troops fired tear gas and sound bombs at Hebron city hospital causing damage.
On Tuesday of this week, Israeli soldiers shot and seriously injured a Palestinian teenager from the northern West Bank governorate of Nablus, after he reportedly attempted to stab soldiers, near a military base, close to Huwwara junction.
On Thursday morning, Israeli bulldozers destroyed all pipelines supplying water to Bardala village in the Jordan Valley, leaving 3,500 villagers without water. The pipelines were destroyed under the accusation that they were being used to steal water with the intention of using it for growing agriculture.
During the week Israeli forces conducted at least 54 military invasions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank and Jerusalem. During these invasions troops detained 47 Palestinian civilians, including 10 children.
In Gaza this week, Israeli soldiers fired, Thursday, two artillery shells into a site, run by the Al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, in Deir al-Balah, in central Gaza. The shells caused some property damage, without leading to any casualties, media sources in Gaza said.
Earlier in the week, Israeli navy forces opened fire at the Palestinian fishing boats sailing within 3 nautical miles, west of Beit Lahia shore, north of the Gaza Strip on Tuesday. A similar attack was reported in the same area on Wednesday. Neither casualties nor damage were reported.
For IMEMC News this is Eman Abedraboo-Bannoura.
Conclusion
And that’s all for today from This Week in Palestine. This was the Weekly report for April 22, to the 28, 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 Ghassan Bannoura.
