This Week in Palestine, September 2nd, 2016

Eight Palestinian civilians were injured this week one critically by Israeli attacks, meanwhile the EU joins other world countries in condemning new Israeli settlements plans. 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. This week protests were in solidarity with Palestinian political prisoners on hunger strike.

Many residents and their international and Israeli supporters were treated for the effects of tear gas inhalation when soldiers attacked the weekly protest in the central West Bank village of al Nabi Saleh on Friday.

Troops attacked the protest at the village entrance using live rounds, tear gas and rubber-coated steel bullets. Later troops stormed and fired tear gas at residents homes, many residents were treated for the effects of tear gas inhalation as a result.

At the nearby villages of Bil’in and Ni’lin, 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 Bil’in some olive trees caught fire that was caused by tear gas bombs fired by Israeli troops.

In the meantime many civilians also were treated for the effects of tear gas inhalation as Israeli troops attacked the weekly protest organized by the villagers of Kufer Kadum in northern West Bank.

In the southern West Bank city of Bethlehem, combatants for peace movement organized on Friday a protest in solidarity with hunger striking political detainees. About 250 Palestinians and Israelis marched along settlers road 60 near the city and ended the protest at the tunnel checkpoint separating Bethlehem from Jerusalem.


The Political Report

After France and the US, Italy and European Union this week both condemn new Israeli settlements plans on occupied Palestinian lands. IMEMC’s Rami al Meghari has more:

European Union expressed this week grave concern over new Israeli illegal settlement plans on the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem.

The EU’s position comes shortly after USA and France had condemned Israeli intentions to further expand illegal building in areas , dubbed by international law as occupied Palestinian territories.

In addition, foreign ministry of Italy, echoed the same reaction , as settlements building would impede a two-state solution for both Israel and Palestinians, through which Palestinians could observe a future Palestinian state with occupied East Jerusalem as the capital.

Israel had repeatedly rejected international legitimacy, by declaring that Arab Palestinian part of the city as being the united capital of the state of Israel.

For few years now, peace process between Israel and Palestinians, has been stalled, due to continued Israeli settlements building. This week, media reports suggested that Russia will likely invite Palestinian and Israeli leaders for a direct meeting to push peace forward. France from it’s part, had earlier proposed an international conference for peace, for the same purpose.

In other news, Palestinian minister of education, Sabri Sidam, denounced this week, an Israeli decision to halt shipments into Gaza of school books.

The minister was quoted as saying that Palestinian Authority believes that the Palestinian people are still in the liberation stage and that some references to Palestinian history or civilization is a given Palestinian right.

Israel contended that the school books contain texts of incitement against Israel. In the Gaza Strip, preparations are underway for upcoming municipal elections , due in October8, 2016.

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


The West Bank and Gaza Report

Eight Palestinian civilians were injured this week during Israeli attacks targeting Wets Bank communities, meanwhile in Gaza navy ships continued to attack fishermen. IMEMC’s Ghassan Bannoura Reports:

An elderly Palestinian man sustained serious to moderate injuries Tuesday after an Israeli settler unleashed his dogs on him, according to Palestinian sources. Tawfiq Khaled, aged 66, was picking figs on his land in Deir Istiya, a village in the north of the West Bank, when he was attacked by the settler’s dogs. Khaled was transferred to a hospital for medical treatment.

Moreover, Israeli soldiers attacked, on Tuesday evening, six young Palestinian soccer players in Bab Hatta neighborhood, in the Old City of occupied East Jerusalem, causing several cuts and bruises that required hospitalization.

Also on Tuesday. Israeli troops destroyed two Palestinian homes in separate incidents during invasions targeting West Bank communities. in the he town of Doura, near Hebron, in the southern part of the occupied West Bank, soldiers demolished a home of a political prisoner. Meanwhile Israeli soldiers invaded, on Tuesday, Sur Baher town, southeast of occupied East Jerusalem, and demolished one home, reportedly for being built without a permit.

Later in the week, Israeli soldiers invaded, on Wednesday at dawn, the Sanabel Radio Station, in Doura city, in the southern West Bank district of Hebron, confiscated equipment, and kidnapped the station manager and four employees, before shutting the station down for three months. Israeli military spokesperson Avichai Adraee claimed that the station broadcasts what he called “incitement against Israel,” and that all detained employees have been moved to an interrogation center.

On Friday, a Palestinian man was seriously injure when Israeli troops rammed him with their jeep during an invasion targeting the northern West Bank city of Nablus. Clashes took place after the army invaded the city, and that local youths hurled stones at the army vehicles, while the soldiers fired live rounds, rubber-coated steel bullets, and gas bombs.

Also this week, Israeli forces conducted at least 47 military invasions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank and in occupied East Jerusalem. During these invasions, Israeli troops kidnapped 41 Palestinian civilians, including 10 children.

In Gaza this week, Israeli navy ships attacked, earlier Monday, a number of Palestinian fishing boats in Gaza territorial waters, in the Sudaniyya Sea area, northwest of Gaza city, kidnapped two fishers and confiscated their boat. Another such attack was reported on Thursday of this week.

Moreover, Egypt opened the Rafah border crossing between Egypt’s North Sinai province and Palestine’s Gaza Strip for three days his week starting Tuesday. Egyptian authorities decided to open the border crossing to allow nearly 3000 pilgrims from the coastal Palestinian enclave to travel to Mecca via Cairo International Airport.

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 August 27, to September 02 2016, 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.