This Week in Palestine, April 3rd, 2015

After Palestine became a member of the International Criminal Court, The Palestinian Authority announced this week its intentions to sue Israel for war crimes, meanwhile Israeli army attacks targeting Palestinian communities this week left five injured civilians. 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. Israeli troops shot and injured two Palestinian civilians as they attacked anti wall and settlements protests organized in West Bank villages on Friday. IMEMC’s George Rishmawi has more:

A Palestinian man was injured by a live round, and many other civilians were treated for the effects of tear gas inhalation, when Israeli soldiers attacked the weekly protest organized in Kufer Kadum village, in northern West Bank.

Majd Abu Khalid, 23, was hit by a live round to his foot, Israeli troops also invaded the village and fired tear gas at residents’ homes.

Moreover, a Palestinian young man sustained light wounds when he was hit by a rubber-coated steel bullet fired by Israeli troops who attacked protesters in Bil’in village, central West Bank. In Bil’in and the nearby Ni’lin village protesters managed to reach the Israeli wall built on lands taken from local farmers.

Also in central West Bank Israeli troops fired several rounds of rubber-coated steel bullets at the villagers as soon as they reached the entrance in al Nabi saleh village. Many residents were treated for the effects of tear gas inhalation.

On Thursday of this week, the Cremisan Monastery in Bethlehem that was slated to be split in half by the Israeli Annexation Wall has won its appeal in the Israeli High Court, after a nine year struggle that involved multiple court cases and non-violent direct action to save the monastery.

The ruling followed a long struggle that involved Palestinian Christian and Moslem residents of Bethlehem, in addition to nuns, monks and bishops of the Catholic Church and international supportes.

For IMEMC News this George Rishmawi.


The Political Report

The Palestinian Authority announced this week that it is going to the International Court of Justice over Israeli war crimes. This comes as Israeli media sources cast doubt over the move itself. IMEMC’s Rami Al Meghai with the details:

Palestinian Prime Minister, Rami Alhamdallah, said this week that the PA is now preparing the needed documents to submit to the International Court of Justice over Israeli war crimes in Gaza and the ongoing illegal settlements activities in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusaelm. Yet, no submission dates have been reported.

The announcement came in the backdrop of Israeli media reports , suggesting that the PA will not go to the ICC, after Israel released tax money, due for the PA .

Alhamdallah confirmed that Israel had deducted about 1 billion and 50 million New Israeli shekels, around over 250 million dollars, from the tax revenues.

In the meantime, French parliament is going to pass a bill that recognizes a Palestinian state on 1967 borders, following the recognition by some other European parliaments of such a state.

Washington, from it's part, is now considering some options in dealing with the Palestinian-Israeli peace process.

At the internal Palestinian level, the rival Islamist Hamas in Gaza and the Fatah party of Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas, are yet to reach a new understanding over ways to reinstate their last year's unity deal.

For IMEMC News, I am Rami Almeghari in Gaza


The West Bank and Gaza Report

Israeli attacks this week targeting West Bank communities leave three civilians injured, meanwhile in Gaza Israeli navy continue to attack fishermen. IMEMC’s Ania Paulina Reports:

Two Palestinian youth were reported injured on Thursday at dawn, as several military vehicles invaded the al-Far-aa refugee camp, northeast of Nablus, and clashed with dozens of local youths. The army fired live rounds, rubber-coated metal bullets and gas bombs; medical sources said Mohammad Bassem Shaweesh, 16, was shot by a live round to the thigh, and Mohammad Jamal Sobeh, 20, and was shot by a live round to one of her knees.

Local medics moved the two wounded Palestinians to nearby hospitals for treatment, and provided medical attention to many residents who suffered the effects of tear gas inhalation.

Moreover, soldiers shot and injured Yousef Sayel Sa’id, 24, after the army invaded the Old City of al-Khader, near the southern West Bank city of Bethlehem. Sa’id was shot by a rubber-coated metal bullet, and suffered a moderate injury, while standing on the rooftop of his family’s home; he was moved to a hospital for treatment.

On Wednesday at dawn, one Palestinian was shot and injured by Israeli army fire after the soldiers invaded, on Wednesday at dawn, the Jenin refugee camp, in the northern West Bank city of Jenin; the army also kidnapped two residents, and detained three. Medical sources in Jenin said a young Palestinian, identified as Ahmad Salim, 19, was shot by a live round to his right leg, causing a moderate injury.

in Gaza Strip this week, The Israeli navy Sunday targeted Palestinian fishermen with gunfire while they were sailing offshore the city of Gaza. Local media sources announced that the navy fired heavy gunfire towards Palestinians’ fishing boats despite sailing within the six-nautical-mile zone allocated to fishing activities. The fishermen returned to the shore quickly to escape the attack.

On Wednesday at dawn, Israeli navy opened fire on again on a number of small Palestinian fishing boats in Palestinian waters, near the Sudaniyya area, northwest of the Gaza Strip. Eyewitnesses said the soldiers fired several live rounds targeting at least three fishing boats, less the two miles away from the Gaza shore, forcing all fishers back.

The navy attacks is part of ongoing Israeli violations to every ceasefire agreement, mediated by Egypt, and to the Oslo Accords. There are more than 3800 Palestinian fishers in the Gaza Strip, providing food to dozens of thousands of family members.

For IMEMC News this is Ania Paulina


Conclusion

And that’s all for today from This Week in Palestine. This was the Weekly report for March 28th, to April 3rd, 2015. 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 Samer Jaber and me Ghassan Bannoura.