Welcome to this Week in Palestine, a service of the International Middle East Media Center, www.imemc.org, for June 10, to the 16th, 2017.
This week US announces new efforts to revive the stalled Peace talks between Palestinians and Israelis in the meantime Israel’s army attacks leave five Palestinians injured 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. On Friday Israeli troops attacked anti wall and settlement protests organized at a number of west Bank villages using live ammunition, tear gas and rubber-coated steel bullets. IMEMC’s Majd Batjali has more:
In Kufer Qadum, Israeli troops attacked the villagers and their international supporters at the village entrance. Later troops stormed the village and fired tear gas at protesters, many civilians were treated for the effects of tear gas inhalation.
In central West Bank, Israeli soldiers attacked protesters in Al Nabi Saleh before even leaving the village. At the nearby villages of Bil’in, and Ni’lin, residents and their supporters reached the Israeli wall. Soldiers stationed their showered them with tear gas and chemical water that generate bad smell. Many were treated for the effects of tear gas inhalation.
For IMEMC News this is Majd Batjali.
The Political Report
This week, US Efforts for peace between Palestinians and Israelis continues, which was revived during the last US’s president Donald Trump visit to the Middle East region. IMEMC’s Rami Al Meghari with the details:
The French government voiced out concern this week about what France considers a negative message by Israel. A French statement regarded latest Israeli plans to erect more settlement blocs in the West Bank as a negative message that would harm underway peace efforts between Israelis and Palestinians.
Israel has recently signaled determination to continue illegal activities on the occupied Palestinian territories, declaring it will not renounce control over those territories; even a peaceful settlement is reached with Palestinians.
Furthermore, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, called on Palestinians to recognize Israel as a Jewish state, as a pre-condition to resume stalled peace talks. In response, spokesperson for the Palestinian presidency, Nabil Abu Rudaina, said that Palestinians will establish their own Palestinian state with no single illegal Israeli settlement over Palestinian lands.
At the local Palestinian level, Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas, emphasized on his willingness to end political Palestinian division to pave the way for a solution for the Palestinian cause, based on a two-state solution.
Talal Aukal is a Gaza-based political analyst:
“ A two-state solution will never end the conflict. It will only create some sort of balance and let the two sides be part of a geopolitical dimension. With such a solution, Israel will not stop being racist nor it will end its occupation. Such a solution, also will not exempt Israel from the crimes it has so far committed, since the British mandate. The Palestinian people exist and they retain the keys to their ancestors’ homes. It is difficult to imagine that establishing two states will end the conflict…Yet such a solution will likely defuse it. “
During his first visit to the region, US’s president, Donald Trump, believed that both Palestinians and Israelis can reach a peaceful settlement, based on the two-state solution, envisioned by Washington, long ago.
Peace talks between the two sides were halted three years ago, as Palestinians insisted that Israelis should halt any settlement activities over the 1967’s border lines, including West Bank and East Jerusalem. Gaza , which is a part of those borders, has been subject to an Israeli siege since 2007, when the Islamist Hamas part took over Gaza.
For IMEMC News, I am Rami Almeghari in Gaza.
The West Bank and Gaza Report
Israeli attacks this week targeting West Bank communities leave five injured civilians meanwhile army attacks targeting farmers and fishermen in Gaza escalate this week. IMEMC’s Eman Abedraboo-Bannoura reports:
Israeli soldiers injured, on Friday morning, two young Palestinian man from Beit Ummar town, north of Hebron, after chasing them and firing gas bombs at them, in Wad Abu al-Hummus area, east of Bethlehem.
Eyewitnesses said the soldiers chased many Palestinians while trying to enter occupied Jerusalem for Friday prayers at the Al-Aqsa Mosque, and fired many gas bombs and concussion grenades on them. They added that the soldiers shot the two Palestinians with a gas bomb and a concussion grenade in the head of back respectively.
On Wednesday of this week, Israeli soldiers invaded at dawn, the Deheishe refugee camp, south of Bethlehem in the occupied West Bank, before shooting four Palestinians and abducting two others.
The invasion into the Deheishe refugee camp was carried out by a large military force, leading to clashes with youngsters who hurled stones and empty bottles on the invading armored jeeps. Medical sources said the soldiers shot four young Palestinian men, resulting in moderate-but stable injuries, and that many Palestinians suffered the effects of teargas inhalation.
This week, Israeli forces conducted at least 45 military invasions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank, and occupied Jerusalem. During these invasions, Israeli troops detained at least 46 Palestinian civilians, including ten children.
Elsewhere, one youth was injured when Israeli troops opened live gunfire and tear gas at Palestinian protesters near the Eastern borders of Gaza with Israel. Medical sources said that the youth was hit in his leg with a live bullet and was moved to hospital for treatment, many other civilians were treated for the effects of tear gas inhalation.
Earlier in the week, Israeli navy ships attacked, Sunday night, many Palestinian fishing boats, and farmers, in the northern and southern parts of the besieged Gaza Strip, causing damage.
Moreover, Israeli soldiers and navy opened fire, on Wednesday morning, targeting a few fishing boats in Palestinian territorial waters, and against farmers, in the northern and southern parts of the Gaza Strip. The attack did not lead to any injuries, but forced the Palestinians out of their lands, in fear of further military violence.
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 June 10, to the 16th, 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 George Rishmawi and me Ghassan Bannoura.
