This Week in Palestine, December 12th, 2014

This week, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas held the international community responcible for the deadlock in the peace process, in the meantime Israeli troops killed a Palestinian minister during a nonviolent tree-planting activity. 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 three civilians were injured, many others treated for the effects of tear gas inhalation when Israeli soldiers attacked nonviolent protests organized in West Bank villages.

IMEMC’s Eman Abedraboo-Bannoura with the details:

Protests were organized on Friday in the village of al Nabi Saleh, Bil’in, Nil’in, central West Bank, and Al Ma’ssara village in southern west Bank. this week protests were in commemoration of Minister Ziad Abu Ein. Abu Ein was killed on Wednesday when Israeli soldiers attacked and beat him up as he was taking part in an olive tree planting event in a village near Ramallah.

In Bil’in and Ni’lin, Israeli soldiers attacked the protesters as soon as they reached the gate of the wall that separates local farmers from their lands.

Troops stationed at the wall fired tear gas and rubber-coated steel bullets at the protesters in Bil’in and Nil’in. in Bil’in two villagers were injured as they were hit by rubber-coated steel bullets fired by Israeli troops. Another civilian was injured after being hit by a rubber-coated steel bullet in Nil’in. Many protesters were treated for the effects of tear gas inhalation in both villages.

At the nearby village of al Nabi Saleh soldiers stopped the protest before leaving the village Later soldiers stormed the village and fired tear gas into residents’ homes causing damage.

Meanwhile Israeli troops attacked the villagers of al Ma’ssara and their supporters at village entrance then forced them back using rifle buts and batons, no injuries were reported.

For IMEMC News this is Eman Abedraboo-Bannoura.


The Political Report

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas blamed United States and other international players for a peace process deadlock. Meanwhile, Palestinian Authority signaled stopping security coordination with Israel, in light of Israeli army killing of a Palestinian leader. IMEMC’s Rami Al Meghari with the details:

In an interview with leading Egyptian newspaper, Alahram Alaraby, Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas, was quoted as saying that the international community's inaction towards Israeli intransigence towards peace, has helped make the peace process fail.

Abbas blamed the United States for what he termed, 'utter' US's support for Israel at the international arena, mainly the United Nations, where Palestinians seek a new resolution that would help end the Israeli occupation of Gaza, West Bank and East Jerusalem, within a timetable.

Abbas said that Israel wants a negotiation process without any international cover and in the meantime, it wants to continue illegal settlements activities on occupied Palestinian territories.

In Gaza, Hamas leaders confirmed Friday the party's constant principles; mainly return of Palestinian refuges to lands prior to 1948.

In other news, Palestinian Authority signaled annulling current security coordination with Israel, in light of recent Israeli army killing of a prominent Palestinian leader in the West Bank, Ziyad Abu Ein. Abu Ein was reportedly died after an Israeli soldier held him from the throat, during a peaceful protest in a West Bank area.

At the international level, parliament of Portugal voted in favor of recognizing a Palestinian state of 1967 borders, including Gaza Strip, West Bank and East Jerusalem. This comes in the backdrop of growing international support for a Palestinian move that aims at attaining such a recognition.

For IMEMC, I am Rami Almeghari in Gaza


The West Bank and Gaza Report

This week Israeli troops killed a Palestinian minister during a nonviolent tree-planting activity in the West Bank, in the meantime Israeli navy and tanks continued to attack fishermen and farmers in Gaza. IMEMC’s George Rishmawi reports:

On Wednesday, Palestinian Minister Ziad Abu Ein died after an Israeli soldier beat him on the chest in the village of Turmsayya, near the central West Bank city of Ramallah. 55-year-old Abu Ein is a minister assigned as the head of the Palestinian Authority committee against the wall and settlements. He was taking part in an olive tree planting event in Palestinian lands the Israeli military is planning to take over.

A Palestinian security source told AFP that Israeli forces beat Abu Ein with the butts of their rifles and their helmets during a protest march, upon which he lost consciousness and was taken to Ramallah Public Hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.

Thousands of Palestinians and officials joined family members in the funeral of Abu Ein in Ramallah on Thursday midday. An autopsy was performed following Israeli claimed that Abu Ein died of a heart attack. The autopsy report stated that he died as a result of an injury and not a normal death.

Palestinian medical sources reported that at least 19 residents have been injured, on Thursday evening, while dozens suffered the effects of tear gas inhalation, during clashes that took place in the al-Biereh town, near Ramallah, following the funeral of Abu Ein.

Earlier in the week, extremist Israeli settler attacked and stabbed a Palestinian teen, late on Monday evening, near Bani Neim town, east of the southern West Bank city of Hebron. The sources said Moath Noah ar-Rajabi, 18 years of age, was stabbed in his shoulder and thigh, and was moved to the Hebron Governmental Hospital suffering moderate wounds.

Elsewhere, a Palestinian man has succumbed on Sunday to wounds sustained during a car attack on a light rail station in East Jerusalem. 60-year-old Abd al-Karim Hamid was injured when a Palestinian slammed his car into the Sheikh Jarrah tram station, killing an officer in the Israeli border police and injuring at least 13 other people including Hamid, local media reported. Hamid suffered multiple fractures of the spine and feet, and subsequently had a heart attack.

According to his wife, he did not receive the necessary medical treatment right away. She said that, according to eyewitnesses, her husband arrived at Shaare Zedek Medical Center handcuffed.

In Gaza this week, Israeli gunboats stationed in the Palestinian waters in the Mediterranean, chased down and opened fire on Sunday at Palestinian fishing boats sailing within the officially allotted fishing zone. According to local news sources, Israeli navy forces detained 12 fishermen, confiscated 5 boats, and damaged fishing equipment. All the fishermen were abducted and taken to an unknown destination, their boats and fishing nets were confiscated, and their equipment were damaged.

On Tuesday an Israeli tank fired a shell into a farmland, east of the al-Boreij refugee camp, in central Gaza. The shell led to extensive damage; however, no injuries were reported. Eyewitnesses said soldiers, stationed near the border fence, fired the shells, adding that the attack was unprovoked, especially since a number of villagers were just working on their lands.

For IMEMC News this is George Rishmawi.


Conclusion

And that’s all for today from This Week in Palestine. This was the Weekly report for December 6th, to the 12th 2014. From the Occupied Palestinian Territories. For more news and updates please visit our website at http://www.imemc.org. This week’s report has been brought to you byMajd Batjali, and me Ghassan Bannoura.