This Week in Palestine, May 13th, 2015

This week, UN Security Council lead announces support to the French peace initiative; in the meantime, Israeli attacks targeting Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank leave two 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. On Friday anti wall protesters commemorated the Nakba, the day Israel was created and hundreds of Palestinians were forced into exile back in 1948.

In Kufer Kadum in northern West Bank 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.

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. Many protesters suffered the effects of tear gas inhalation and were treated by field medics at both locations.

In Bili’n village troops kidnapped a local activist and an international supporter as they attacked the nonviolent protest. Moreover, tear gas bombs fired by troops caused a fire in a nearby olive groves. A number of trees were damaged by the fire.

At the nearby al Nabi Saleh village, troops attacked protesters at the village entrance. Israeli soldiers fired several rounds of rubber-coated steel bullets and tear gas at protesters and nearby homes. Many residents suffered effects of tear gas inhalation as a result.


The Political Report

This week, Egypt, as the current head of UN’s Security Council, says it will support a French initiative for Middle East peace. IMEMC’s Rami Al Meghari has more:

Security Council of united nations, will continue discussions on Middle East peace. This comes in the backdrop of a French initiative for peace between the Palestinian people and Israel. The initiative calls for convening an international peace conference that excludes both Israeli and Palestinian sides.

Peace process has been stalled over the past few years, after Palestinian Authority had objected to ongoing Israeli settlements building on occupied Palestinian lands.

After having already turned down the initiative , Israel had softened position by hinting at the possibility to agree to the conference idea, once the parties concerned, recognize Israel as a Jewish state.

Secretary General of the Arab States League, Nabil Alaraby, from him part, expressed support for the same initiative. He said that holding an international peace conference, could be a way out of current political impasse.

At the internal Palestinian level, some parties in Gaza called for the consensus Palestinian government to take control of the Gaza Strip, to deal with worsening economic crisis.

For IMEMC News , I am Rami Al Meghari in Gaza


The West Bank and Gaza Report

Two Palestinians injured this week, more than 85 others kidnapped during invasions targeting west Bank communities. Meanwhile in Gaza Israeli troops continued to attack farmers. IMEMC’s Ghassan Bannoura reports:

Israeli soldiers invaded, on Wednesday morning, the village of Kafr Aqab, north of occupied East Jerusalem, shot and injured two Palestinians, one seriously, in clashes that took place with local youths. Medical sources said one Palestinian suffered a life-threatening wound, after the soldiers shot him with a live round in the chest. Palestinian medics moved him to a hospital in Jerusalem. They added that the soldiers also shot another Palestinian, with a live round in his leg, before medics moved him to a hospital in Ramallah, suffering a moderate injury.

On Thursday, Israeli soldiers attacked the funeral ceremony of an elderly Palestinian woman, east of the Al-Aqsa Mosque, in occupied Jerusalem, as the mourners were heading towards the graveyard in Silwan town. The soldiers removed the Palestinians from the graveyard, alleged that it is located on a confiscated land that the Palestinians are not allowed to use, before closing its gate, and assaulted many of them.

In other news, two elderly Israeli women were injured in a park, in Jabal al-Mokabber Palestinian town, in occupied Jerusalem on Tuesday, after being stabbed by two masked young men who managed to escape before the soldiers installed many roadblocks and pushed more units. Israeli sources said The soldiers arrested a young Palestinian man, meanwhile a large Israeli military force closed many roads in Jabal al-Mokabber.

Also this week, Israeli forces conducted at least 85 military invasions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank and occupied East Jerusalem. During these invasions, Israeli troops kidnapped at least 68 Palestinian civilians, including 13 children.

Meanwhile, The Palestinian Prisoners Society (PPS) has reported that the Israeli Authorities imprisoned 647 Palestinians under arbitrary Administrative Detention order, without charges, since October 1, 2015. It added that Israeli military courts issued 1144 Administrative Detention orders since October 1 of last year, including new orders and renewal of existing orders.

In the Gaza strip this week, Israeli Soldiers, stationed across the border fence, opened fired earlier on Monday on a number of Palestinian farmers, in their own agricultural lands, east of Khuza’a town, east of Khan Younis city, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip.

Media sources said the soldiers, stationed on military towers across the border fence, east of Khuza’a, fired dozens of live rounds towards the farmers, forcing them to leave their lands; no injuries were reported. The soldiers conduct daily attacks and violations against the Palestinians in the besieged coastal region, especially in border areas in the northern and eastern parts of the Gaza Strip, preventing the Palestinian from entering their lands.

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 May 7, to the 13, 2016. 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 Eman Abedraboo-Bannoura.