This Week in Palestine Jan. 14-20
HAVANA TIMES, Jan 21 — The following is the weekly report on the situation in Palestine from the International Middle East Media Center (IMEMC) for the period January 14-20, 2012
International pressure on the Palestinian authority to remand deadline for Amman talks, meanwhile the Israeli military continue to invade Palestinian areas and kidnap civilians, these stories and more, coming up, stay tuned.
The Nonviolence Report
Let’s begin our weekly report with the nonviolent activities in the West Bank. This week six men were wounded when Israeli troops attacked anti wall protests organized in a number of West Bank villages. IMEMC’s Ghassan Bannoura Reports:
On Friday three men were injured among them a medic when Israeli soldiers attacked the weekly protests at the central West Bank village of al Nabi Saleh. Villagers along with their international and Israeli supporters marched after the midday prayers.
Israeli soldiers stopped the march before it left the village and fired tear gas and rubber coated steel bullets at protesters. Two villagers were hit with rubber-coated steel bullets and a medic was hit with a tear gas bomb.
Staying in central West Bank, villagers of Bil’in and Ni’lin protested the Israeli Wall on their lands. The two protests reached the wall then soldiers fired tear gas and sound bombs at people , many were treated for the effects of tear gas inhalation.
Also on Friday In the village of Al-Ma’asara, southern West Bank, Israeli troops attacked the weekly anti wall protest there and injured three men.
The protest strated after midday prayers, Israeli soldiers stopped protesters at the village entrance before reached lands owned by local farmers that Israeli is building the wall on. Later troops forced people back into the village using tear gas and rifle buts, slightly injuring three men.
Political Report
International bodies including member states of the Quartet Committee for Middle East peace, called on the Palestinian Authority to remand deadline for Amman talks, in the hope of reaching an understanding on resumption of peace negotiations. IMEMC Rami Al-Meghari has more
The Palestinian Authority reiterates stance that any resumption of peace negotiations with Israel should be preceded by a halt of all forms of Israeli settlement activities on occupied Palestinian lands.
Others involved in the Amman-based unofficial talks, such as the Quartet committee, Jordan and the United States, have advised the PA to wait and see and that a pre-set deadline ‘ January26’ for the talks should be extended.
Meanwhile, PA’s president Mahmoud Abbas, is in a worldwide tour that is said to aim at garnering support for the PA’s position regarding negotiations.
In the Gaza Strip, Palestinian Prime Minister of Hamas, Ismail Haniya, called on the Palestinian Authority to stop any negotiations with Israel. Haniya was commenting on the latest Israeli detention of the head of Palestinian parliament of Hamas, Aziz Aldwaik of Ramallah.
Also, Haniya called for the acceleration of conciliation between Hamas and Fatah, saying that conciliation is the means to end the Israeli occupation and uprooting of illegal Israeli settlements.
On the conciliation front, the rival Hamas and Fatah parties have not yet agreed on breadlines for the implementation of a conciliation deal they reached in May of last year under Egyptian mediation.
West Bank and Gaza report
Over the week, the Israeli military carried out 56 incursions into the West Bank, kidnapping 37 Palestinians, including four children. In the Gaza strip, the Israeli army killed two Palestinian fighters and wounded several others. IMEMC’s William Gibson with the details.
Last Friday, two Palestinians were attacked in the southern West Bank city of Hebron by settlers, in Ash-Shuhada Street. After arriving at the scene, Israeli soldiers proceeded to intervene by arrestting the two Palestinian youth.
Also on Friday, fundamentalist Israeli settlers cut down more than nine-hundred olive trees belonging to residends of Yasouf and Jam’een towns, near the West Bank city of Salfit. Local residents claim that the settlers came from the illegal settlement of Tapoah.
An explosion in Rafah claimed the life of one Palestinian, and wounded four others. The incident occurred at the house of the Secretary-General of the Popular Resistance Committees, who was absent at the time of the explosion. An Israeli spokesperson on Twitter claimed that quote- “An initial check of the Rafah explosion shows it was not connected to IDF activity.”-unquote.
Khaled Jamal Al-Qaisy, aged 38, was killed in the explosion lastweekend.
At around four a.m. on Sunday, Majdi Abu Ghazala, a 21 year old Jerusalemite was attacked by Israeli youth outside the restaurant he works at on Jaffa Street, West Jerusalem. The Kappa wearing men and one woman closed around him with knives and sticks, beating him whilst shouting Kill Him.
Madji fled inside the restaurant, and the police subsequently arrived. They questioned several of the settlers who had remained outside, and merely sent them away.
On Monday, the car of a Palestinian Authority Intelligence Office, Mohammad Ghannam, was set ablaze outside of his home by extremist Israeli settlers. The attack occurred in Dir Dibwan village, near Ramallah.
Also on Monday, in the village of Azzoun, near Qalqilia, the Palestinian Prisoner Society stated that twelve Palestinians were arrested in synchronized raids. Four of those arrested were soon released, with claims of violence and brutalities were being upon the detainees.
In a separate incursion, Israeli forces patrolled through Jenin Refugee camp, before proceeding to Jenin city proper, and arrested Jamal Majdi, after searching several homes.
Later on Monday, Israeli forces detained two men, aged 20, at the Salem checkpoint leading away from Jenin. The men were carrying holdalls which contained ten pipe bombs, a make-shift hand gun, and numerous bullets. The army believes the arrest to be linked to an incident last week, whereby a man arrested carrying eleven pipe bombs, and that the target was a military court near the checkpoint.
On Wednesday, two men have been confirmed dead, with two more injured, after Israeli planes and tanks opened fire upon them. The strike occurred just before noon, east of Beit Hanoun, as the group approached the border fence. The explosives they were carrying also blew up during the strike, killing Mohammad Abu Awda, 23, and Za’aneen, 17.
On Thursday morning, Israeli police razed the illegal settlement of Yisa Bracha, containing six homes. Three police officers and six protesters were injured and taken to hospital. Three settlers were arrested during the eviction, with settlers pelting the police with stones and burning tires, and the police responding with batons and tear gas.