This Week in Palestine, September 11th, 2015

This week Palestine Flag to fly at United Nations Headquarters, meanwhile Israeli attacks targeting Palestinian communities in Gaza and the west Bank leave one killed civilian and others injured. 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 civilians were injured; scores were treated for the effects of tear gas inhalation when Israeli troops attacked nonviolent protests organized in West Bank villages on Friday. IMEMC’s Majd Batjali with the details:

In the village of Kufer Kadum in northern West Bank, four civilians were injured 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

State of Palestine Flag to fly at United Nations Headquarters, offices as General Assembly adopts resolution on non-member observer states; meanwhile the Palestinian leadership decides to postpone the convention of the Palestinian National Council. IMEMC's George Rishmawi with the details:

The United Nations General Assembly voted, Thursday, in an overwhelming majority in favor of a resolution that permits raising the Palestinian flag at the United Nations, despite aggressive opposition led by the United States and Israel.

The world body adopted the resolution by a recorded vote of 119 in favor to 8 against with 45 abstentions.
The U.S. and Israel managed to persuade 6 countries only to vote against, namely Australia, Canada, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Palau, Tuvalu.

The U.S. said the vote against this resolution does not mean the U.S ignores the Palestinian rights, according to the American statement.

The resolution grants the UN Secretary General twenty days to ensure its implementation; Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will be visiting the UN on September 30. Riyad Mansour, permanent Observer for Palestine to the United Nations in New York, said although this is a symbolic move, yet it is a step forward to strengthen the pillars of the Palestinian State in the international arena.

Mansour added that the move would potentially give the Palestinians some hope that the International Community has not abandoned them, and supports their legitimate rights of statehood and independence.
Aside from this diplomatic move, a popular move in UK might lead to the arrest of the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as he sets foot on British soil.

A petition to the UK government and parliament requesting the arrest of Netanyahu for war crimes when he arrives in London, reached its target this week with more than 110,000 signatures.

A petition as such needs 100,000 signatures to be considered by the Parliament for a debate, yet it is not a guarantee that Netanyahu will be arrested. The British government said in its response to the petition that visiting heads of foreign governments, such as Prime Minister Netanyahu, have immunity from legal process, and cannot be arrested or detained.

In other news, the chairman of the Palestinian National Council Salim al-Zanoun announced this week that the meeting of the council which was supposed to be held next week in Ramallah has been postponed. Al-Zanoun said the council will meet before the end of this year.

Palestinian officials said the main reason for postponing the meeting is to make some internal arrangements to ensure the widest possible attendance of the council's members.

For IMEMC News, this is George Rishmawi.


The West Bank and Gaza Report

This week one Palestinian civilians died of injuries sustained during and Israeli attack targeting the west Bank. Meanwhile in Gaza, Israeli navy continue to attack fishermen. IMEMC’s Eman Abedraboo-Bannoura reports:

Thousands of Palestinians joined family members on Monday afternoon at the northern West Bank city of Nablus in the funeral procession of Reham Dawabsha, burned victim from an Israeli arson attack on her home in Doma village in July.

Dawabsha died of her serious wounds, shortly after midnight on Sunday night, after a deterioration in her health condition, despite a slight improvement earlier in the day.

Her 18 month child was burnt to death in the attack, her husband died of his wounds a week later, and her other child, Ahmad, 5, suffered second-degree burns to 60% of his body. Doctors say Ahmad still need months of treatment in the hospital and he may undergo several surgeries.

Also this week, Israeli settlers attacks were reported all over the west Bank. a Palestinian teenager was attacked, on Tuesday morning, by a number of Israeli extremists, while heading to his work in West Jerusalem, and suffered various cuts and bruises.

Elsewhere, A group of Israeli extremists, living in illegal Israeli colonies in the northern West Bank district of Nablus, burnt on Wednesday at dawn, Palestinian olive orchards and farmlands, belonging to residents of Burin village, south of Nablus.

Israeli soldiers arrived on the scene and were seen talking with the fanatics who burnt the orchards, but did not apprehend any of them. On Tuesday night three residents were injured, after Israeli extremists hurled stones on their car, while driving back home in Jenin coming from the nearby Nablus city.

In the Gaza strip this week, several Palestinian fishing boats have been attacked, on Thursday morning, by Israeli navy fire close to the shore in the Sudaniyya Sea, northwest of Gaza City. The boats were only four nautical miles away from the shore, and that the fishers had to sail back fearing additional Israeli violence and escalation, Palestinian sources reported.

on Tuesday, about five Israeli military tanks stormed and razed farm lands near the town of Khuza’a in the southern Gaza Strip. Palestinian farmers fled their lands in fear of being attacked by Israeli tanks. Damage was reported but no injuries.

On Sunday, Israeli warplanes launched two missiles at a training site for al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, north of the Gaza Strip. Damage was reported but no injuries.

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 September 5th, to the 11th, 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.