This Week in Palestine (July 6-12)

By IMEMC News

HAVANA TIMES – Welcome to this Week in Palestine, a service of the International Middle East Media Center, www.imemc.org, for July 6th to the 12th 2013.

Israeli troops and settlers escalate attacks targeting,West Bank communities, while Palestinian officials reiterate that for peace talks to resume, Israel needs to fulfill its obligations.

The Nonviolence Report

Let’s begin our weekly report as usual with the nonviolent activities organized in the West Bank. This week Israeli soldiers used chemical water, tear gas, and rubber-coated steel bullets to attack the nonviolent anti wall and settlements protests organized at a number of West Bank communities.

Protests on Friday were organized in the villages of Nabi Saleh, Bil’in, and Nil’in, central West Bank and Al Ma’ssara village in southern West Bank.

At the village of Nabi Saleh, Israeli soldiers attacked the villagers along with their Israeli and international supporters before leaving the village.

Later, troops stormed the village and fired tear gas and chemical water at residents’ homes. Many were treated for the effects of tear gas inhalation.

Damage was also reported to a number of homes. Meanwhile, in the nearby villages of Bil’in and Ni’lin, residents and their international and Israeli supporters managed to reach the annexation wall.

Soldiers stationed there fired tear gas and chemical water on protesters. Many civilians were treated for the effects of tear gas inhalation.

Earlier on Monday a Palestinian civilian was wounded during a peaceful protest against attacks by Israeli settlers in Deir Qeddis and Shabtin villages, northwest of Ramallah city.

Elsewhere on Friday , at al Ma’ssara village, Israeli troops stopped the villagers and their supporters at the village entrance, then forced them back using rifle buts and batons. No injuries were reported.

The Political Report

This week top Palestinian negotiator, Saeb Eriqat, believes that once both sides, Israelis and Palestinians, implement each other’s obligations, there will be some kind of peace prospect in the region. IMEMC’s Rami Almeghari has more:

In a meeting with foreign consulates in the West Bank city of Ramallah, top Palestinian negotiator, Saeb Eriqat, believed that there is a possibility for peace between Israelis and Palestinians, once both sides implement their peace obligations.

Eriqat’s remarks came as both Israelis and Palestinians have failed to resume their stalled peace talks. Israel continues settlement activities on occupied Palestinian lands , while Palestinians insist that Israel should stop all such settlement construction.

Meanwhile, some other Palestinian Authority sources believed that President Mahmoud Abbas might consider return back to negotiations table, once Israel releases all old Palestinian prisoners from it’s jails.

Recent frequent visits to the region by US Secretary of States, Jhon Kerry, had failed to bring both sides back together to the negotiations table.

At the internal Palestinian level, Fatah party of Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas and the Islamist Hamas party, have not yet reached an agreement on conciliation.

The leftist people’s party has recently suggested what the party termed a ‘ road map’ for both sides to reach that reconciliation.

Hamas wants conciliation ahead of any elections and that Fatah and Hamas would have a power-sharing. President Abbas has insisted on going to elections as the first step towards reconciliation.

The West Bank and Gaza Report

This week Israeli forces conducted at least 60 military invasions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. During these invasions, Israeli troops kidnapped 62 Palestinians, including three children.

This week Israeli soldiers’ invasions and kidnappings targeting the West Bank were focused in the cities of Bethlehem, Ramallah, Hebron and Jenin.

On Sunday Israeli troops demolished an artesian well owned by Palestinian farmers from al-Baqi’a valley near Atouf village, southeast of Tubas city in central West Bank. The famers said that the Israeli army did not send a prior notice to the well owner to halt work in this well.

Moreover, Israeli soldiers and army civil administration officers demolished on Monday a number of Palestinian-owned residential, livestock, and fodder storage tents in the Jordan valley.

Also this week, Israeli settlers continued to attack Palestinian West Bank residents. A group of settlers, from the illegal Israeli “Carmiel” settlement near Yatta village in southern West Bank, attacked on Saturday Palestinian farmers and shepherds while in their lands and forced them out.

On Sunday, a group of settlers from “Beitar Illit” settlement, which is established on the western countryside of Bethlehem governorate, pumped wastewater onto farmlands belonging to residents of the nearby village of Wad Foquin, west of Bethlehem city.

Later in the week Israeli settlers cut off on Thursday 1150 Palestinian Olive trees east of the Nablus District, in the northern West Bank. The villagers of Awarta said that the settlers used chainsaws to destroy their trees.

Conclusion

And that’s all for today from This Week in Palestine. This was the Weekly report for July 6th to the 12th 2013 from the Occupied Palestinian Territories. For more news and updates please keep visiting our website at www.imemc.org. Today’s report has been brought to you by Ghassan Bannoura, and me Shamus Slaunwhite.