This Week in Palestine (Oct. 27 – Nov. 2)
HAVANA TIMES — Welcome to this Week in Palestine, a service of the International Middle East Media Center, www.imemc.org, for October 27th through November 2nd, 2012
As Palestinians marked the 95th anniversary of Belford declaration this week, Israeli attacks targeting the Gaza Strip and the West Bank left 1 killed and four others injured. These stories and more, coming up, stay tuned.
The Nonviolence Report
Let’s us begin our weekly report with nonviolent activities organized in West Bank. Israeli troops used tear gas and rubber-coated steel bullets to suppress Friday’s protests.
Many were treated for the effects of tear gas inhalation when troops attack the weekly anti wall protests at the village of Kuffer Kadum, in northern West Bank. Villagers were joined by their international and Israeli supporters after midday prayers.
As soon as protesters reached the road block at the villager entrance Israeli forces stationed their attacked them using tear gas and forced back into the village.
In the central West Bank, anti wall protests were organized at the villages of Bilin, Ni’lin and al Nabi Saleh.
At al Nabi Saleh village, Israeli troops attacked the villagers and their supporters before they left the village to get to lands Israeli took to build the wall and a new settlement on. Troops forced people back into the village and later invaded al Nabi Saleh.
Soldiers fired tear gas into residents’ homes. Many were treated for the effects of tear gas inhalation, mostly women and children.
In Bil’in and Nil’in villagers and their Israeli and international supporters managed to reached the Israeli wall built on lands taken from local famers. Israeli soldiers stationed fired tear gas and rubber-coated steel bullets at protesters.
At the village of Ni’lin this week protest ended with clashed between local youth and Israeli troops, many were treated for the effects of tear gas inhalation but no injuries were reported.
Also on Friday at the village of Al Ma’ssara, southern West Bank, Israeli troops stooped the weekly anti wall and settlements protest at the village entrance and forced people back into the village using rifle-buts and batons. No injuries were reported.
The Political Report
Palestinians, inside the occupied Palestinian territories and in the Diaspora, mark on Friday, the 95th anniversary for the notorious historical declaration of Belfour. A statement, by the British colonialism minister of 1917, in which he promised a national home for Jews worldwide in historical Palestine. This and more by IMEMC’s Rami Al Meghari:
Salim Za’noun, head for the Palestinian National Council, called on world nations to lift an oppression Palestinians have been inflicted since November2, 1917, when Great Britain by then promised Jews worldwide to establish a national homeland in Palestine.
Za’noun asserted that the international community should be held responsible for the ongoing Palestinian plight. He called for supporting a Palestinian move at the UN, aimed at gaining UN recognition of Palestine as a non-member state.
Meanwhile, Palestinian politician, Wasel Abu Yousef, told Palestinian Maan News Agency this week some European countries have conditioned a vote on the UN-based Palestinian move with restoration of stalled peace talks with Israel.
In the meantime, by November13, this month, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will meet at the Arab States League in Cairo with representatives of Arab and European countries, ahead of going to the United Nations to submit the recognition request.
On different note, Palestinian media outlets reported that Turkish prime minister, Rajube Tayyeb Ordoghan, is planning to visit the Gaza Strip, within attempt to break international isolation of the Hamas-ruled Gaza. Ordoghan is said to plan to invite Palestinian president to join him
This is the second visit for a high-ranking international official to Gaza following last month’s visit by Emir of Qatar, Hamad Bin Khalifa Al-Thani, who laid the foundations for some vital Qatar-funded infrastructure projects. Qatar had intervened to council between Abbas and Hamas but both are yet to agree.
The West Bank & Gaza Report:
Israeli bombardment targeting Gaza continued this week, one man was killed and four others injured as a result of those attacks, while in the West Bank, Israeli troops continued their invasions and arrests of Palestinian civilians. IMEMC’s Ghassan Bannoura with the details:
On Sunday at dawn, the army assassinated Suleiman Al-Qarra, 27, a member of the Al-Qassam Brigades, and wounded another resident, in an air strike that took place as fighters clashed with soldiers invading an area east of Khan Younis.
The Israeli Air Force carried out, late on Sunday evening, at least four airstrikes targeting different areas in the Gaza Strip causing excessive damage; one injury was reported. In another attack one resident was wounded, on Monday morning, after being hit by fragments of a missile fired by the Israeli Air Force into an agricultural land in Al-Karama area, northwest of Gaza City.
Later in the week Palestinian medical sources in the Gaza Strip reported, Friday, that one resident was seriously injured by a shell fired by the Israeli army into Juhr Ed-Deek area, in central Gaza.
Israeli soldiers killed, over the last week, nine Palestinians, and wounded at least 14 others, some seriously, in a series of air strike and bombardment targeting the coastal region.
From its part the Al-Qassam Brigades this week fired several mortars at Israeli targets across the border with Gaza. The Brigades issued a press release stating that the firing of the shells comes in retaliation to the ongoing Israeli military escalation against the coastal region. The shells cased damage but no injuries, Israeli sources reported.
In the West Bank this week, Israeli military invasions were focused around Hebron and Bethlehem cities, in the south and the cities of Ramallah and Nablus, central and northern West Bank. during these invasions at least 20 Palestinian civilians were arrested by Israeli soldiers.
Elsewhere, Hala Abu Ayiash, 11 years old, was injured on Wednesday when an Israeli settler rammed her near the southern West Bank city of Hebron. According to local sources Abu Ayiash was hit by the settler near the Jerusalem-Hebron road. She was moved to a hospital after sustaining critical wounds, local sources added.
Meanwhile the Israeli military freed this week Hassan Al Safadi, 33, years old, after spending 10 years under military administrative detention. Al Safadi went on hunger strike early in the year for 93 days then went back and did 73 days of hunger strike when the army refused to release him in July and extended his detention for additional 6 month. Al Safadi was welcomed with celebrations by his family and friends at his hometown Nablus, northern West Bank.
In other news, the Israeli human rights group, Peace Now, reported on Monday of this week that the Israeli state has approved 180 settlers housing units to be build in illegal settlements inside occupied east Jerusalem. According to peace now the houses will be dedicated to soldiers and police officers.
Moreover later in the week the Israeli military demolished three Palestinian homes. One home was leveled at the village of Beit Omer near Hebron and two in the west Bank city of Jericho. The army claimed that the three homes are built without the needed permission.
Conclusion
And that’s all for today from This Week in Palestine this was the Weekly report for October 27th through November 2nd 2012 from the Occupied Palestinian Territories. For more news and updates please visit our website at www.imemc.org. Today’s report has been brought to you by Husam Qassis and George Rishmawi.