This Week in Palestine, April 29th, 2015

As Israeli rejects a new Peace conference this week, Israeli troops kill a Palestinian pregnant woman and her brother in the West Bank and attack farmers in Gaza. 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. three youth were injured; scores others were treated for the effects of tear gas inhalation when Israeli troops attacked nonviolent protests organized in West Bank villages. IMEMC’s Majd Batjali with the details:

Three Palestinian youth were injured at Kufer Kadum village in northern West Bank and 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.

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

This week, Israeli rejects international efforts, to launch an international conference for peace. IMEMC’s Rami Al Meghari has more:

Palestinian Authority hopes that efforts, underway, to convene an international peace conference to address Middle East Conflict, will bear fruits.

Top Palestinian negotiator, Saeb Eriqat , was quoted as saying that there is no contradiction between the call for peace conference and the UN’s Security Council discussions over condemning Israeli settlements building on occupied Palestinian territories.

From it’s part, Israel rejected the call for conference, ahead of a meeting for foreign ministers of international and Arab key countries, including France, which had first launched the initiative.

A statement by the office of Israeli Prime Minister, read that Israel believes that bilateral talks between Israel and Palestinians, are the only workable option.

In the meantime, Israel insists that the Syrian Golan Heights will remain under Israel’s jurisdiction, forever. Such an announcement by Israel comes in the backdrop of moves within the United Nations’ Security Council, to reaffirm the fact that the Golan Heights are occupied lands of Syria.

In other news from Gaza, former Palestinian prime minister of Hamas, Ismail Haniya, called for lifting the 10-year-long Israeli blockade of Gaza. He also asserted on his group’s readiness to go for general elections, praising victory of the Hamas-linked students mass, at the West Bank-based Beirzeit University.

For IMEMC News, I am Rami Almeghari, in Gaza.


The West Bank and Gaza Report

This week, Israeli troops kill pregnant Palestinian woman and her brother at a West Bank checkpoint meanwhile Israeli tanks invade and destroy farmlands in Gaza. IMEMC’s Ghassan Bannoura Reports:

Israeli soldiers shot and killed, on Wednesday, Maram Abu Ismael, 24, and her brother Ibrahem 16, at the Qalandia wall terminal, separating the central West Bank city of Ramallah from occupied Jerusalem. The two slain Palestinians are from Beit Surik town, north of occupied Jerusalem; Maram is a mother of two daughters, and was four months pregnant.

The Israeli Police said members of the Border Guard Units, opened fire on the Palestinian woman as she “walked towards the roadblock holding a knife in her hand.” Witnesses said that the soldiers shot Maram and her brother from a distance and both did not pose a threat to the soldiers.

Moreover, soldiers left the two Palestinians bleeding on the ground, in addition to preventing Palestinian medics from even approaching them, after declaring the area a closed military zone.

Also this week, Israeli soldiers, and several settlers, invaded on Thursday at dawn the northern West Bank city of Nablus, leading to clashes with dozens of local youths; one teen was shot with a live round. Media sources in Nablus said the soldiers shot Ahmad Adel Mas’oud, 17, with a live round in his thigh. The sources added that many Palestinians received treatment for the effects of tear gas inhalation.

Moreover, The Israeli army conducted at least 62 military invasions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank and in occupied East Jerusalem this week. During these invasions, troops kidnapped 44 Palestinian civilians, including 5 children, the Palestinian center for Human rights reported.

In the Gaza strip, Israeli army vehicles, and bulldozers, invaded Palestinian agricultural lands, east of Gaza city in addition to lands near the southern borders with Israel, and uprooted them while firing live rounds and smoke bombs at nearby homes. Such attacks were reported on Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday of this week.

Moreover, Israeli navy ships attacks Palestinian fishing boats of the Gaza city coats line on Tuesday. Damage was reported but no injuries.

The Israeli army conducts frequent violations against Palestinians, and their lands, in areas close to the border fence, in the northern and eastern parts of the Gaza Strip, an issue that prevents dozens of families from planning their lands. Similar attacks also target Palestinian fishers in Gaza territorial waters, in direct violation of the Oslo accords, and every ceasefire agreement.

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 April 23, to the 29, 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 Abedrabbo-Bannoura.