Israel attacks Palestinian communities in the Gaza strip and the West Bank, and kills 21. Meanwhile Palestinians continue their nonviolent struggle against the wall and settlements in the West Bank. These stories and more coming up, stay tuned.

Nonviolent Resistance in Palestine
Let's begin our weekly report with the nonviolent actions in Palestine against the wall and settlements.

Non-violence Report

Wadi el-Neiss

Approximately 100 Palestinian villagers from Wad el-Neiss, located to the south of Bethlehem in the southern part of the West Bank, side-by side with Israeli and international supporters, protested today against the illegal confiscation to land to for the construction of the illegal Israeli wall.

Friday’s non-violent action was organized by the local popular committee of land defence as part of a set of non-violent actions commemorating the third anniversary of the International Court of Justice’s ruling that the Israeli wall is an illegal structure that should be demolished and those affected by it compensated.

On Friday, the villagers of Wad el-Neiss conducted Friday prayers on the land schedules for confiscation. After prayers, protestors moved towards the construction site of the wall, where Israeli soldiers were waiting for them. After Israeli troops barred the demonstrators from proceeding, protestors non-violently attempted to force their way to the site, but met with no success. A scuffle ensued after demonstrators were beaten with batons. Several protestors were lightly injured with cuts and bruises.

After one hour, participants in the demonstration left the area, promising to return the following week.

Bil’in

On Friday, the village of Bil’in conducted its weekly demonstration against the illegal Israeli wall near the village. As is the case each week, the villagers were joined by Israeli and international peace activists.

After Friday prayers, the protestors began to make their way to the site of the wall, carrying Palestinian flags and banners calling for Palestinian unity. On the route to the wall, the Israeli army installed barricades of razor wire. When protestors arrived at the barricades, soldiers opened fire with sound-bombs, tear gas and rubber-coated steel bullets, leading to the injury of three and causing several cases of severe gas inhalation.

Abdullah Abu Rahmah, one of the Bil'in weekly protests said that escalation of violence by the Israeli army is noticeable lately:


"The escalation of violence by the Israeli army is noticeable in the repeated injuries and attacks on journalists and medical teams. Today, for example, the Israeli army showered medical teams with tear gas as they attended to an injured person as they lay on the ground."

After several hours, organizers decided to end the protest, promising to return the following week

BBC reporter Allen Johnston released

BBC reporter Alan Johnston was released, this week after nearly four months in captivity. IMEMC's Rena Sahouri has more:

BBC reporter Alan Johnston was released after 114 days in captivity. The same kidnappers also released 10 Hamas affiliates, kidnapped three days ago in Gaza. The so-called Army of Islam group kidnapped Johnston on March 12 in the Gaza Strip.

Johnston met with the dismissed Prime Minister Ismael Haniyeh shortly after being released.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas welcomed Johnston’s release, stating that his freedom ended a human tragedy that harmed the Palestinian national cause. He affirmed that his emergency government is committed to maintaining security and imposing law and order in all Palestinian areas.

Johnston was released after the Al-Qassam brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, and the Executive Force, which was formed by Hamas during the Hamas-led Palestinian government, surrounded the house where Johnston was held, on Wednesday. Without resorting to violence, Johnston was released. Ghazi Hamad, a senior Hamas leader, stated that there had been several attempts to negotiate his release, but the British government asked the Palestinian government not to adhere to the requests of the kidnappers. The captors requested money and land, in addition to the release of what they called “Islamist” prisoners in the United Kingdom.

Hamad, who condemned the kidnapping of Johnston, told Al-Jazeera TV that his release is evidence that the Hamas movement is fighting for the freedom and independence of the Palestinian people and that they are not a terrorist organization.

Johnston described the time in captivity as “the worst days of his life,” adding that he dreamt of being released several times, but woke to the same room each time.

Apparently an exchange of prisoners between Hamas and the Army of Islam, which is dominated by the Dughmush family, paved the way for his release.

A Palestinian, holding Bulgarian citizenship, was kidnapped on Wednesday night from his home in Gaza by unknown gunmen.

Khalid al Mughir is one of approximately a dozen Bulgarian citizens living in Gaza who wished to leave the Strip and travel to Bulgaria. Al Mughir, was scheduled to leave Gaza on Thursday, but failed to show at the meeting-point at the Eretz crossing gate. Palestinian authorities, alerted by Bulgarian officials, found that Al Mughir was seized from his home the previous night by unidentified armed men. Al Mughir’s wife, a Bulgarian citizen, lives in Bulgaria with the couple’s two children.


For IMEMC.org this Rena Sahouri.

Political report

After seventeen months of partial and irregular payment, Palestinian governmental employees received their first full paycheck this week.

The Palestinian Authority was able to pay 165 thousand employees only after Israel decided to release the PA-owned money it has been holding since March of last year. This money is the tax revenue collected by Israel for Palestinian imports that should be paid on monthly basis to the Palestinian Authority, according to a previous agreement.

Following the election of Hamas, Israel stopped channeling the monthly $55 million dollars with the seized money amounting to $800 million. Only 118 million was released after the Sharm Al-Sheikh summit.

The newly-appointed Prime Minister of the emergency government, Dr. Salam Fayyad, has stated that he intends to pay the salaries of civil servants in the Gaza Strip as well as in the West Bank, providing that they do not follow Hamas' orders. Hamas condemned the move by Israel as, "political blackmail" meant to further intensify divisions between Palestinians, Fawzi Barhoum of Hamas:


"Money for recognizing the occupation and money for giving up Jerusalem are very dangerous issues. I believe the political money negatively affects Palestinian life, because for money, Palestinian rights may be lost. The most dangerous part is that Mr. Abbas is not standing against this scenario."

The summit was regarded as controversial by local observers as it was meant, according to its Egyptian hosts, to boost the position of Abbas after Hamas took control of the Gaza Strip in mid June.

During the summit, Israel pledged to release 250 out of nearly 11,000 Palestinian prisoners. However, Israeli PM Ehud Olmert placed conditions on the release, noting that only those who did not have Israeli blood on their hands would be released.

Israel later released the criteria for the release of those prisoners which indicates that most of them have little time left to serve on their sentences or were not involved in armed attacks against Israeli targets.

Palestinian reports indicate that nearly 200 Palestinians were taken prisoner after the summit.

In other news, the Israeli and Egyptian governments announced an agreement on Tuesday to allow thousands of Palestinians stranded at the Rafah border crossing between Egypt and Gaza to return to their homes in the Gaza Strip through the Israeli-controlled Kerem Shalom terminal.

However, after what was described as “technical problems” on the Egyptian side of the border, the terminal was never opened.

For its part, Hamas has voiced its objection at using the Kerem Shalom terminal, stating this will jeopardize the safety of the stranded Palestinians. Fawzi Barhoum, Hamas spokesperson in Gaza:

"The Rafah terminal which was used before is an Egyptian-Palestinian one, but now using an Israeli terminal threatens the safety of the passengers who need to enter or exit the Gaza Strip. It also legalizes the separation and the isolation of the Gaza Strip and strangles the Palestinians who live there."

The Rafah Border crossing, the only way in and out of the Gaza strip for Palestinians, along with all commercial crossings surrounding the Gaza strip, was closed by Israel shortly after Hamas took total control of the area two weeks ago, leaving around 6000 Palestinians stranded at the Rafah crossing.

The stranded people lack basic accommodation, facilities and supplies. Human rights organizations have stated that 12 Palestinians died while waiting to cross into Gaza.

Most of those stranded at the crossing had been in Egypt receiving medical treatment. Mohamed Al Lubas, a Gaza resident who has been stranded at the Rafah border crossing for 60 days talked about the situation there:

"There are around three thousand people at the border, more than 70% are sick and unwell. The Red Cross says they came here, but we did not see them or anyone else. We just want to return to our homes in Gaza. We are dying here. People are starving and no one cares about us. We just want to go home to Gaza."

Following the release of BBC reporter Alan Johnston in Gaza after 114 days in captivity, negotiations between Hamas leaders and high-ranking Israeli army officers began in order to release the captured Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit.

Israeli sources stated that a number of officers held a meeting with some of the jailed Hamas leaders concerning this issue.

Shalit was captured by Palestinian resistance groups in the Gaza Strip on June 25, 2006 after resistance fighters attacked a military base at which he was positioned on the southern border of the Gaza Strip.

Israel launched a widespread offensive against the Gaza Strip following the capture of Shalit, however it has made few, if any, moves designed to secure his release by means of negotiation.

Israeli attacks


The West Bank

During the week, the Israeli army conducted at least 31 military invasions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank. During those invasions, Israeli troops kidnapped 92 Palestinian civilians, including 19 children. Thus, the number of Palestinians kidnapped by the Israeli army in the West Bank since the beginning of this year has mounted to 1,490. IMEMC's John Smith has more:

Of the invasions carried out in the West Bank this week, the largest was in Nablus and the neighboring refugee camps. Over an attack that lasted two days, the Israeli army killed a Palestinian civilian, wounded 15 more, and kidnapped 11 others. Israeli troops also destroyed a house and transformed 6 others into military posts.

Palestinian sources in Hebron city, in the southern part of the West Bank, reported on Tuesday evening that Israeli soldiers shot and killed a Palestinian child carrying a toy gun in the Wad Al Tuffah area of Hebron. The child was identified as Ahmad Skafy, 15. An Israeli military source reported that soldiers fired at two Palestinians carrying what appeared to be M-16 rifles, hitting Skafy at least four times. The same military source claimed that the incident would be probed, and denied Palestinian reports which stated that military dogs mauled the body of the child. Yet, medical sources in Hebron stated that the right hand of the child had marks consistent with dog bites.

One Palestinian resistance fighter was killed during an Israeli army invasion of Jenin refugee camp, located in Jenin city in the northern part of the West Bank, on Monday. Palestinian sources identified the man as Mohamed Abu Al Hija, 24. The man is said to be a member of the Al Aqsa brigades, the armed wing of Fatah.

On Monday at dawn, a massive Israeli force, backed by military bulldozers, stormed the refugee camp, randomly opening fire on and searching a number of homes. During the military offensive, a group of local resistance fighters clashed with the invading troops. Abu Al Hija was killed during the confrontation.

Throughout the week, the Israeli army continued to impose a tightened siege on the West Bank and east Jerusalem and imposed severe restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians there.

For IMEMC.org this is John Smith.

The Gaza strip

In the Gaza Strip, the Israeli army conducted four invasions into several areas of the region and Israeli war plans continued to attack targets in the costal region. During these attacks, 18 Palestinian were killed. IMEMC's Ghassan Bannoura has more:

In an Israeli military offensive that started on Thursday morning and ended on Friday at dawn, the Israeli army killed 11 Palestinians and inured at 13 others, among them children and a Palestinian cameraman.

The Israeli army invaded central Gaza and instigated clashes with Palestinian resistance fighters in the al-Maghazi and al-Bureij refugee camps. During the clashes, nine Palestinian resistance fighters from Hamas and two civilians were killed. 13 civilians and two Israeli soldiers were also injured. The wounded included children and a cameraman for Al-Aqsa television, a Hamas-affiliated satellite channel, who was shot many times by Israeli troops and later had to have both of his legs amputated.

Palestinian ambulance worker Azmi Abu Dalal said Israeli forces seized him and several colleagues in the camp when they tried to evacuate a wounded Palestinian man from a security post that Hamas fighters had been using and which the army took over. Abu Dalal said soldiers took them to a nearby house and then used them as human shields to exit the area. Israeli and international law bans armies from using human shields. An Israeli tank also destroyed Abu Dalal's ambulance.

Approximately seven Palestinians were killed in a series of air strikes launched by the Israeli army in the early hours of Sunday morning. Several others were also injured in the attacks. In the first attack, three Palestinians, later identified as members of the al-Quds Brigades, the armed wing of Islamic Jihad, were killed in Khan Younis. Among the dead was Ziyad Ghannam, a senior commander in the organization. The second attack, which targeted a metal workshop near the Maghazi refugee camp, in Gaza city, killed four Palestinians and wounded a further two.

On Sunday and Monday of this week, Israeli tanks and bulldozers moved into the Palestinian side of the Beit Hanoun (Erez) crossing and removed the remainders of buildings which they had already demolished. Israeli forces also demolished a small mosque.

The Kerem shalom crossing, which was scheduled to reopen on Wednesday, remained closed due to “technical problems” on the Egyptian border, officials announced on Wednesday. Despite reports on Tuesday of an agreement between the Israeli and Egyptian governments that would allow thousands of stranded Palestinians to enter the Gaza Strip, officials announced that the crossing would not reopen and did not declare any future opening date.

The crossing, the only way in and out of the Gaza strip for Palestinians, along with all commercial crossings surrounding the Gaza strip, was closed by Israel shortly after Hamas took total control of the area two weeks ago, leaving around 6000 Palestinians stranded. These stranded people lack basic accommodation, facilities and supplies. Human rights organizations stated that three Palestinians have died while waiting to cross into Gaza.

For IMEMC.org this Ghassan Bannoura.

Conclusion

And that’s just some of the news this week in Palestine. For constant updates, check out our website, www.IMEMC.org. Thanks for joining us from Occupied Bethlehem, this is Beth Thompson.