This Week in Palestine, a service of the International Middle East Media Center www.imemc.org, for September 27 through October 3, 2008.

LEDE:

Israeli settler attacks in the West Bank double during 2008, while in Gaza, the Palestinian petroleum authority warns of a worsening crisis if the siege continues, as intra-Palestinian and Israeli-Palestinian talks are not progressing, these stories and more are coming up, Stay tuned.

Nonviolence Report

We begin our weekly report with the nonviolent activities this week in Palestine as October 2, marks the International Day of Nonviolence, marked by the United Nations to honor the birthday of leader of the nonviolent movement in India Mahatma Gandhi. Palestinians start the olive trees harvest season with settlers’ assaults in Ni’lin and Hebron.
Ni’lin

In the village of Ni’lin, north of Ramallah Israeli settlers attacked Palestinian farmers accompanied by international and Israeli activists en route to their lands to harvest the olives trees on the far side of the wall..

About 40 activists clashed with as many settlers, who claim that the olive grove to be harvested do not indeed belong to the Ni’lin residents. The settlers tried to prevent the activists and the Palestinian family from reaching the trees.

Local sources reported that the activists and the farmers managed to get the settlers off the land and to harvest the olive trees.

Meanwhile in Hebron, settlers attacked peace activists from the Israeli Rabbis for Human Rights movement as they stood protecting a group of Palestinians harvesting olives in their field.

Israeli media sources said Israeli troops operating in the area tried to stop the settlers who were trying to force the farmers off the field.

Rabbis for Human Rights, an Israeli leftist movement, said they are planning to accompany Palestinians in 40 different villages when they harvest their olive trees. Rabbis for Human Rights will provide these villagers with protection from the Israeli police, military and settlers who increasingly harass and assault Palestinians.

Bilin:

In the village of Bil’in, three civilians were wounded with rubber-coated steel bullets and dozens were treated for gas inhalation in the weekly nonviolent anti-wall protest Friday afternoon.

The villagers accompanied by International and Israeli supporters marched after the Friday prayer carrying Palestinian flags and banners calling for continuing the nonviolent resistance to remove the wall and the settlements from the West Bank.

Marchers also took to the streets chanting slogans calling for national unity among Palestinian factions.

Protestors carried ladders they use in olive trees harvesting. This harvest begins soon.. During the heaviest part of the season, Palestinians farmers often face problems from soldiers who shoot at them or booby-trap the trees.

As protestors arrived at the gate in the fence, Israeli troops showered them with concussion grenades and rubber-coated steel bullets and dozens of gas canisters.

Dozens were treated for gas inhalation and three suffered minor injuries when they were hit with rubber-coated steel bullets. Three were identified as Muheeb Barghouthi, a journalist with a local newspaper, Abdullah Yassin from Bil’in and a Japanese peace activist.

Bethlehem:

Also on Friday in Al-Ma’sara village in southern Bethlehem, clashes erupted between the Israeli troops and nonviolent activists who marched in the village in their weekly protest against the wall being built on their land.

Also in Bethlehem, Palestinian and international demonstrators at the southern entrance to Al-Khader on the Jerusalem-Hebron Road, continue their weekly Friday non-violent protests against the on-going construction of the illegal Israeli Wall. They demand an end to the Israeli occupation. Protestors began with midday Friday prayer near Route 60, the settler bypass road, where the illegal wall is being constructed. No Israel military were present.

On Monday, October 6th, a new aid convoy aimed at breaking the siege on the Gaza Strip is expected to enter through the Rafah crossing in the southern Gaza Strip coming from Egypt.

The convoy, coordinated between the Popular Committee to break the siege on Gaza and the Egyptian Medical Union, will be carrying medical aid to the besieged Gaza population.

The convoy was encouraged by the success of the Free Gaza Movement who were able in August to sail from Cyprus to Gaza carrying 44 international human rights activists on board.

For IMEMC.org this is George Rishmawi

Political Report

Palestinian and Israeli negotiators are set to meet in Cairo next November with representatives of the Quartet committee for Middle East peace, in order to discuss future peace talks. Meanwhile, representatives of Palestinian factions are meeting this month in Cairo to work out their internal differences, IMEMC’s E. L Humble has more.

As Palestinian-Israeli peace talks continue to be stalled, Palestinian and Israeli negotiators, with the participation of the Quartet, are scheduled to meet in Cairo in November in order to lay out broad-lines for their future peace talks.

The outgoing Israeli prime minister, Ehud Olmert, said earlier this week that Israel should withdraw from the Arab-Palestinian neighborhoods of the occupied east Jerusalem, so that a workable solution can be guaranteed.

Olmert's statements come as the two sides' negotiations are yet to reach an agreement on several contentious issues such as the status of east Jerusalem, the problem of Palestinian refugees, the future borders of Palestinian state, water and security arrangements.

In Damascus, secretary of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad group, Ramadan Abdullah Shallah, said that Jerusalem can not be liberated through negotiations, but rather through war, slamming underway Palestinian-Israeli talks.

Last November, Washington brought Palestinians and Israelis together in the framework of Annapolis peace summit, on the basis of a two-state solution by the end of this year.

At the internal level, as both Hamas and Fatah parties argue over the upcoming presidential elections in January 2009, their representatives are due to meet in Cairo this month to work out their differences for the best of national unity in Palestine.

Deputy-speaker of the Hamas-dominated parliament, known as the Palestinian legislative council (PLC), Dr. Ahmad Bahar, rejected this week an Egyptian offer that a technocrat-dominated government be formed to end current political turmoil.

Farraj Alghoul, a Hamas leader in Gaza told the IMEMC that his party will act according to item no. 37 of the Palestinian basic law, which states that as the President's term in office ends , the PLC's head takes the post.

Hamas has repeatedly stated that the Fatah leader and PA's president Mahmoud Abbas will be no longer a president after January8, 2008. Hamas's deputy-head of PLC was reportedly said he would assume the president's post by then.

Meanwhile, Fatah local leader in Gaza, Yehya Rabah, argued, in an interview with the IMEMC, that according to the Palestinian institution, simultaneous presidential and legislative elections shall be held as soon as the president's term ends.

Rabah maintained that any claim to presidency by the dominant party (Hamas) is illegal. He stated that the length of term for both the presidency and the parliament is the same, therefore, mandate that both bodies should be terminated simultaneously.

In the shadow of such a controversy, representatives of both Hamas and Fatah will be holding Egyptian-mediated talks next week, over ending their differences and hope to come out with a national unity agreement.

The two parties have been at odds since the Hamas party took power after January2006's parliamentary elections. Hamas is opposed to peace talks with Israel until Israel halts actions against the Palestinian people, while Fatah continues peace negotiations with Israel.
For IMEMC’s E. L Humble

West Bank Report

In the West Bank, the Israeli military invaded several towns and villages, detaining at least dozens of Palestinians. Meanwhile, the Ramallah-based Palestinian government stated it released scores of Hamas supporters, jailed in its prisons, while Hamas denied the reports. These news and more with IMEMC’s Jessica Hussly.

This week, Israeli troops invaded several West Bank cities, towns and villages, rounding up more than dozens of people. The detention campaigns were concentrated in the cities of Nablus, Jenin, Tulkarem and Hebron.

Earlier this week, a number of armed Israeli settlers were reported killing a teenage Palestinian Shepherd near the West Bank city of Nablus, as the settlers attacked the Kufer Eldiek village near the Salfit city.

The settlers vandalized the Palestinian locals' homes, touching contents inside and terrifying the unarmed inhabitants. Israeli settler attacks have been reportedly escalated over the past few weeks.

The occupied West Bank is surrounded by a number of Israeli settlements, some of which are major blocs such as the Ma'ali Adumim, near Nablus city.

International law regards such settlements illegal, however, Israel continues to expand them or build new ones on occupied Palestinian lands.

Meanwhile, as representatives of both the rival Fatah and Hamas parties are set to hold talks in Cairo next week, the Ramallah-based Fatah-led government said it released about 40 Hamas prisoners, jailed in the Palestinian prisons.

The Hamas-led government in Gaza denied that any Hamas supporters were released from the Palestinian Authority's prisons in the West Bank, demanding release of all its supporters.

The Palestinian Fatah and Hamas parties have been at odds since the Islamist Hamas party, which shuns peace talks with Israel, took power after January 2006's parliamentary elections.

For IMEC.org , this is Jessica Hussly


Gaza Report

In Gaza, the petroleum authority warned this week of a fueling crisis in the upcoming winter, and the Hamas government released a number of Fatah supporters, jailed in its prisons, IMEMC’s Rami Al-Meghari has the details.

The Hamas-run Palestinian petroleum authority warned this week of a fueling crisis in the upcoming winter, saying that with the inadequate quantities of fuel supplies from Israel, the demand for fuel, especially cooking-gas, will be higher.

Meanwhile, the Hamas government in Gaza released this week several Fatah leaders and supporters from its Gaza-based jails. The move was considered by a government's spokesman as a good-will gesture ahead of the upcoming national unity talks, due to be held in Cairo next week.

On the other hand, the international campaign for breaking the Israeli blockade on Gaza said this week that a convoy of international campaigners will arrive in Gaza next Monday, in bid of support to the besieged Gaza population.

For 16 months now, Gaza lives under a crippling Israeli siege, which came into effect right after Hamas's takeover in June2007, amidst a factional fighting with the Fatah party of Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas.

In the meantime, a number of Gaza-based resistance factions warned this week of the possible collapse of a three-month-old ceasefire with Israel, unless Israel lifts its blockade and stops its actions against the Gaza Strip.

This past June, Egyptian officials brokered a ceasefire deal between Israel and the Palestinian factions in Gaza, on the basis of halting homemade shells fired onto nearby Israeli towns and lifting the Israeli blockade on the coastal territory.
For imemc.org , this is Rami Almeghari in Gaza

Conclusion

And that was just some of the news this week in Palestine. For constant update check out our website, www.IMEMC.org. Thanks for joining us from occupied Bethlehem. This week's report has been brought to you by Hussam Qassis and George Rishmawi