Palestinians mark the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan while the Israeli army continue to attack the Gaza strip and the West Bank, killing two this week, these stories and more coming up stay tuned.


Eid Al Efttar

Friday marks the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, celebrated by the holiday of Eid ul-Fitr. Throughout the course of the month, the Israeli government has repeatedly reneged on promises made prior to the outset of the period. In Jerusalem, entry to the al-Aqsa mosque was severely restricted, with many Palestinians refused access to the city either to worship or spend the holy month with family and friends.

IMEMC spoke with Hussam Jubran, a resident of the southern West Bank city of Bethlehem:



Across the Occupied Palestinian Territories, the Israeli administration continued to attack the Palestinian economy and people during the month. In the West Bank, kidnapping, assassinations, and severe restrictions on the freedom of movement continued to be implemented.

In the Gaza Strip, in fitting with its branding as a "hostile entity" by the Israeli government, the costal region continued to be subjected to a brutal economic and military siege. IMEMC's Rami Al Mughari talked about the situation in Gaza:



Elsewhere, the yearly practice of releasing Palestinian political prisoners during Ramadan was delayed for several weeks as the Israeli intelligence apparatuses demanded a series of unnecessary and extensive so-called "security checks." Of those prisoners released, the majority had served most of their sentences, and all came exclusively from PLO factions. No Hamas detainees were freed.

Political report

In Political developments this week, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas outlines his demands for the borders of a future Palestinian state. Meanwhile, the Hamas movement and a number of left-wing Palestinian political parties have called on Arab countries to boycott next month's U.S. sponsored peace summit. IMEMCS John Smith has more.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Wednesday outlined his precise demands regarding the borders of a future Palestinian state, calling for a complete Israeli withdrawal from those territories occupied in 1967. Speaking in an interview with Palestine TV, Abbas declared that the Palestinian negotiating team would settle for no less than all of the West Bank and Gaza Strip, in addition to area inside the so-called "no man's land".

Of the upcoming peace negotiations, Abbas struck a confrontational and defiant tone, arguing that the summit would fail if core issues were not discussed.

Nabil Abu Rodeina, Abbas' official spokesperson, struck a similar tone in warning against Israeli attempts to block the progress of the peace process, adding that serious negotiations require honest political will. Abu Rodeina also called on the Israeli administration to immediately cease all attacks, invasions, and targeted assassinations across the Occupied Palestinian Territories, arguing that such operations compromise the peace summit's chance of achieving a just solution.

Meanwhile, of the upcoming negotiations, Hamas Spokesperson Sami Abu Zuhri on Tuesday stated that the Israeli state is unready and unwilling to present any political commitment to the Palestinians, adding that November's summit will lead only to talks, uncommitted political statements and blank commitments.

Similarly, Mosheer al-Masri, a Gaza-based Hamas parliamentarian, on Tuesday warned President Abbas of the "grave repercussions" that would result from any agreement with Israel and branded the ongoing process as "detrimental" to the Palestinian people. Al-Masri also called on the Ramallah- based government and other Arab countries to re-evaluate their participation in the summit, arguing that the conference would lead to the liquidation of the Palestinian cause.

In a similar vein, the leadership of the PFLP, DFLP, PPP, PNI and FIDA on Monday warned of the risks surrounding the Annapolis conference, arguing that it is doomed to achieve little, if anything at all.

The Israeli Minister for Strategic Affairs, Avigdor Lieberman, on Thursday told Quartet Envoy Tony Blair that the upcoming Middle East Peace Conference could lead to the collapse of Israel's coalition government, media sources reported.

In a meeting in Jerusalem, Lieberman told Blair that any attempt to solve crucial issues such as the future status of Jerusalem, the future borders of a Palestinian state and the issue of Palestinian refugees, could cause a schism that the Israeli government would not recover from.

In related news, the Israeli daily Haaretz on Wednesday reported grave misgivings on the part of Israeli Military Intelligence regarding the likelihood of the peace summit to achieve any lasting results, arguing that the Palestinian Authority is not in a position to assume control of West Bank security.

Elsewhere, Ahmed Qureia, Chief Palestinian negotiator, on Thursday warned of the possible consequences of such a failure, stating that "if the talks fail, we can expect a third and much more severe Intifada."

The Deputy Chief of Staff of The Israeli Military, Moshe Kaplinsky, on Thursday spoke of the likelihood of an imminent invasion of the Gaza Strip by Israeli forces, adding that troops would "stay there for a few months."

Speaking in an interview with the Israeli daily Yedioth Ahronoth, Kaplinsky branded a future invasion "a matter of timing," arguing that the Israeli army could not ignore a perceived military strengthening of the Hamas movement and the continued firing of home-made shells from the coastal region.

In related news, Israeli officials on Thursday warned that the asserted smuggling of munitions into the Gaza Strip from Egypt was jeopardizing the possibility of next month's peace conference actually being held.

In a message to the U.S. government, the unnamed officials warn that "the smuggling of weapons…poses a real threat to the holding of the Annapolis conference," adding that the Gaza-Egypt border had become a "strategic problem." In other news, Mahmoud al-Zahar, a high-ranking Hamas official, on Monday called for the immediate resignation of United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon from his post, arguing that the chief displayed nothing but "partiality towards Israel."

Speaking in a written statement, al-Zahar criticized a perceived imbalanced in the UN's management of affairs relating to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, arguing that the international organization had violated its own rules by supporting the Israel position over legitimate Palestinian concerns.

For IMEMC.org, this is John Smith.


The Israeli attacks

The West Bank

This week the Israeli army conducted at least 21 military invasions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank. During those invasions the Israeli troops attacked Palestinian homes kidnapped civilians and killed several others, IMEMC's Colin Bill with the details:

During this week's attacks, the Israeli army kidnapped 34 Palestinian civilians from several parts of the West Bank. Thus, the number of Palestinians kidnapped by the Israeli army in the West Bank since the beginning of this year has risen to 2,091.

Also this week, the Israeli army extra-judicially assassinated two resistance fighters in the northern part of the West Bank.

Among those killed was Mohammad Abu Soror, 20, one of the leaders of the Al Aqsa brigades, the armed wing of Fatah. He was killed in the early hours of Thursday morning. The incident took place in the northern West Bank city of Jenin during a military operation by Israeli Special Forces.

On Wednesday morning one member of the al-Aqsa brigades, the armed wing of Fatah, was killed and another injured when undercover Israeli forces invaded the Old City of Nablus on Wednesday morning.

Eyewitnesses said that undercover Israeli troops trapped a group of Palestinian resistance fighters in part of the city and opened fire on them, killing Ammar Al Enabosy, 23, and injuring one of his comrades.

Israeli settlers living illegally in the West Bank continued to attack Palestinians this week. On Wednesday a group of settlers blocked a road in southern Hebron, while the military invaded the area, confiscating private vehicles and ransacking homes. Witnesses said a group of armed settlers closed a road between Kherbet Salameh and the town of Dora, harassing those in the area as Israeli soldiers looked on.

The Palestinian resistance announced this week that it made several attacks on Israeli troops as they invaded the West Bank cities of Nablus and Jenin. The attacks caused damage to military vehicles but there were no reports of Israeli army casualties.

For IMEMC.org, this Colin Bill.

The Gaza strip

In the Gaza Strip this week, the Israeli army conducted 3 ground invasions into several parts of the coastal region. During these incursions, a number of Palestinians were injured and invading troops transformed a number of houses into military sites. IMEMC's Ghassan Bannoura has more:

While Israeli officials spoke of an imminent Gaza invasion on Thursday, the Israeli army continued to pound the coastal region with attacks throughout the week. On Wednesday Israeli military aircraft shelled the areas of Beit Hanoun and Deir Al Balah in the Gaza Strip, firing several rockets. Medical sources reported that rockets caused serious injuries to five Palestinians.

On Thursday morning four Palestinians were injured during a military operation against the Al Maghazi refugee camp and the village of Al Masdar in central Gaza. According to local sources more than 20 vehicles, under the cover of Israeli aircraft, invaded the area.

During the operation troops abducted at least 20 Palestinians and took them to unidentified detention centers. Local residents said that the military opened fire randomly on their homes, causing terror and injuries. In the same operation Israeli bulldozers razed huge areas of Palestinian land by the border fence.

Eight Palestinian civilians were wounded in two different Israeli air strikes in Gaza on Monday morning. Dr Mo'awiya Hasnien, Director of the emergency department at the Alshifa hospital of Gaza, reported that five civilians were injured when Israeli jetfighters attacked a group of civilians in the Al Shuja'yia neighborhood in the eastern part of Gaza city. Dr. Hasanien added that two sustained critical wounds.

The second air strike targeted a group of Palestinian police officers, east of Gaza city. Local sources reported that two police officers sustained moderate wounds in the attack. On Sunday evening, a Palestinian civilian sustained moderate injures when Israeli tanks shelled homes located near the al-Mintar crossing, also east of Gaza city.


For IMEMC.org, this Ghassan Bannoura.


Civil unrest

This week several incidents of civil unrest were reported in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, IMEMC's Jane Sahouri has the details:

A Palestinian man has been found stabbed to death on Sunday morning in central Gaza City a day after disappearing. Rami Ayyad, 32, and owner of the ‘Bible book’ store in Gaza, had reportedly received threats from unknown groups, while his shop was exposed to more than one attack during factional infighting in Gaza between Hamas and Fatah.

In the meantime, the Hamas-led police forces in Gaza on Sunday arrested three Palestinians, after they had been spotted planting explosive devices on the sea road in Khan Younis city, police sources claimed. In the northern Gaza Strip town of Jabalya, the police said three other people were caught planting a booby-trapped bomb in the town.

Palestinian police forces in the West Bank early on Sunday morning besieged the Al-Am’ari refugee camp, in pursuit of those police sources deemed ‘wanted' by security forces. Media sources said that scores of police personnel cordoned-off the entrance to the refugee camp.

Witnesses said that an exchange of fire erupted between armed men and the Palestinian police forces at the entrance to the camp. Palestinian security sources revealed that the operation in Al-Am’ari was unrelated to political issues, referring implicitly to the struggle between Fatah and Hamas. Hamas recently accused the Palestinian security bodies in the West Bank of arresting Hamas members in great numbers.

Iyhab al-Ghusen, spokesman for the Interior Ministry of the deposed Hamas government in Gaza, stated Tuesday that his government will implement the ban on outdoor prayers. The spokesman stated that Fatah must in future request permission to hold such events, adding that a failure to do so will lead to the arrest of those organizing the prayer rallies.

Al-Ghusen accused the Fatah movement of executing what he termed "political prayers", adding that Fatah must obey the law and that the rallies must first be vetted by the Palestinian ministry of religious affairs in Gaza.

The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights on Tuesday announced that both the Hamas and Fatah movements had committed "grave breaches" of international human rights law during the recent bloody spate of infighting that resulted in Hamas establishing total control over the coastal region. The report highlights that members of both factions had been the victims of extrajudicial assassinations, torture and kidnap, all of which contravene basic human rights legislation the world over.

For IMEMC.org, this Jane Sahouri.

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 Louisa White.