This Week in Palestine, December 4th, 2015

This week ten Palestinians were killed by Israeli gunfire meanwhile Israeli court still has no evidence against settlers who are accused to burning a Palestinian family to death. 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. four Palestinians were injured; scores were treated for the effects of tear gas inhalation on Friday when Israeli troops attacked nonviolent protests organized in West Bank villages. IMEMC’s Majd Batjali with the details:

at the village of 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. Soldiers attacked protesters at the village entrance as soon as it started. Later Israeli troops stormed the village and fired tear gas into residents’ homes causing damage.

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. In Bil’in, four protesters were hit by rubber-coated steel bullets fired by Israeli troops, who also fired tear gas at protesters in both villages. As a result, many suffered the effects of tear gas inhalation. In Ni’lin, the protest ended with clashes between local youth and Israeli soldiers.

Moreover 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.

For IMEMC News this Majd Batjali.


The Political Report

Two killers of the 16-year old Abu Khdeir found guilty, while Israeli court says no evidence against the accused of burning to death the Dawabshe family near Nablus, IMEMC’s George Rishmawi has more:

The Jerusalem District Court, this week convicted two of the three Israelis accused in the murder of 16-year old Muhammad Abu Khdeir in Jerusalem. In July 2014, Abu Khdeir was kidnapped and murdered by tree Israeli men in the neighborhood of Shuafat, in occupied East Jerusalem close to his home. He was driven to the Jerusalem Forest, where he was beaten and burned alive by his kidnappers. The Israeli Defense Minister has officially recognized him as “a victim of terror” granting his family compensation rights.

Although the court said there is enough evidence to convict Yousef Ben-David, the main defendant, yet, the judges ordered the psychiatric evaluation, which was written in English by an Israeli psychiatrist, to be translated to Hebrew.

Thus the two minors were found guilty and the court is expected to consider the plea of Ben-David on December 20. The father of Abu Khdeir demanded the state of Israel to demolish the houses of the killers, in the same way they do with Palestinians who kill Israelis.

In other news, the Israeli Minister of Internal Security Gilad Ardan said there is no enough evidence to convict the killers of the Dawabsha family who were killed near Nablus more than two months ago.

Ardan has said that the Israeli security establishment is still looking for evidence. The Dawabsha family’s house was attacked by Israeli settlers in the village of Douma near Nablus with cocktail bombs back in August killing three of them while the fourth is still alive, but is still suffering serious burns and is receiving physical and mental treatment in an Israeli hospital.

Palestinian Medical sources said that the Israeli hospital has demanded the Palestinian Authority to pay the costs of the treatment.

Three Arab Members of the Israeli Knesset, Dr. Basil Ghattas, Haneen Zoubi and Jamal Zahalka have appealed to the Israeli court to boost the investigation in this case, after receiving information that the Israeli assailants are in custody with the Israeli Authorities.

The Arab MKs accused Israel of hiding evidence of the murder to avoid the killers stand trial. The court allowed the Attorney General 20 days to defend these accusations.

The cases of the Dawabsha family and Mohammad Abu Khdeir reveal serious issues in the Israeli judicial system when non-jews are involved. Palestinians are demanding Human Rights organizations to take serious actions against Israel especially after a clear video spread viral on social media outlets clearly showing Israeli soldiers putting a knife on the ground and forcing a Palestinian school girl to pick it up and then arresting her near Bethlehem.

Several Palestinian youth were killed in similar incidents, as they were accused of stabbing attempts. No evidence of the stabbing attempts are usually provided but the alleged attacker is extra-judicially killed by soldiers, or settlers or even by passing Israeli civilians.

For IMEMC News, this is George Rishmawi


The West Bank and Gaza Report

At least ten Palestinians were killed this week and more than 100 others were injured by Israeli army gunfire during attacks targeting West Bank and Gaza communities. IMEMC’s Eman Abedraboo-Bannoura Reports:

The Palestinian Ministry of Health said that with the ten killed this week the number of Palestinians killed by Israeli army gunfire since October 1 have reached 114 on Friday. Meanwhile more than 13,000 Palestinians were reported injured during the same reported period.

On Friday, Israeli soldiers killed four Palestinians during three different attacks in the West Bank. in the early hours of Friday morning, Israeli soldiers shot and killed two Palestinian youth, 19 and 16 years old, in Hebron old city. Later in the day Israeli soldiers shoot and killed a Palestinian youth in Silwad town near the central West Bank city of Ramallah after the army claimed he tried to run over soldiers at the town entrance with his car. Moreover a Palestinian man was killed on Friday midday when soldiers shot him in his head at the town of Abood near Ramallah.

Two more Palestinians were killed on Thursday by Israeli army gunfire in two separate incidents. On Thursday evening, a 21 year old Palestinian was shot dead by Israeli police in Al Mosrarra areas just outside the old city of occupied Jerusalem. The youth is from Al Obadiya town near the southern West Bank city of Bethlehem. Israeli police claimed that the youth tried to stab a police officer before he was shot. An Israeli police officer was injured when he was hit with a built fired by another officer, Israeli media reported. The circumstances of the Palestinian youth death remains unclear.

Earlier on Thursday, A Palestinian was shot and killed after opening fire on Israeli soldiers stationed at the Hizma military checkpoint, to the north of Jerusalem, in the occupied West Bank, that left two soldiers injured, the Israeli army and emergency services said.

Earlier in the week, Israeli soldiers shot and killed, on Tuesday midday, a Palestinian teen, sixteen years of age, near the Gush Etzion settlement block, built on Palestinian lands, south of Bethlehem. On Tuesday morning, Israeli soldiers stationed at a checkpoint near Tulkarem, in the northern part of the West Bank, shot and killed a young Palestinian woman as she was crossing the checkpoint, which is located between Nablus and Tulkarem.

On Sunday two Palestinians were killed, one was shoot dead by Israeli troops during a protest near Jerusalem old city while the other was killed inside the old city of Jerusalem after the army claimed he tried to stab soldiers.

According to Palestinian sources at least 100 Palestinian civilians were injured by Israeli army gunfire this week during ongoing protests all over the West Bank, Jerusalem and Gaza. Also this week, Israeli forces conducted at least 91 military invasions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank including Jerusalem. During these invasions, Israeli troops kidnapped at least 78 Palestinian civilians, including 19 children.

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 November 28, to the December 4, 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 by Maher Qasiess and me Ghassan Bannoura.