Egyptian-mediated truce efforts for a ceasefire deal between Israel and the Palestinians came to a deadlock this week as Israeli continues its attacks on Gaza. These stories and more, coming up. Stay tuned.

Nonviolent Activities

Let us begin our weekly report with the nonviolent activities in the West Bank with IMEMC's Ghassan Bannoura:

{Sound of Eyad in the protest}

That is the sound of Eyad Burnat, the head of the local committee against the wall and settlements construction in Bil'in village near the central west Bank city of Ramallah. He and the residents of Bil’in, were conducting their weekly protest to mark the 4th anniversary of the struggle against the building of the wall and settlements on land owned by them. Eyad Burnat, talked about the village's continued protests:



"We felt injustice as the occupation started to steal our land for the settlements. So we formed a popular committee and since then we have had a weekly protest, as a form of nonviolent resistance to the construction of the wall. Through this, we were able to deliver a message to the world that this wall exists to steal our lands and not for security reasons as Israel says."

The appointed Palestinian Prime Minister, Mr. Salam Fayad, and other Palestinian MP's visited the village of Bil’in and joined the Friday prayer in the village. This visit was timed in solidarity with the residents on their 4th anniversary marking the popular struggle against the wall. Dr. Mustafa Al Barghouthi, a Palestinian MP joined the Friday protest:



"Bil'in provided a model, the model is a specific, its about being creative its about solidarity of the internationals with the people of Bil'in and their participation in ever demonstration, and above all its about constancy and continuity, that no one gave up not a single Friday was missed, that means the model is working and it well spread all over the occupied territories."

As is the case each week, International and Israeli peace activists joined the protest in solidarity. Also, a member of the Popular Committee against the wall in Ni’lin joined the protest. Salah al Khwaja, from the Ni’lin committee against the wall and settlements construction says Bil'in was the model for their weekly protests, which started over a year ago:



" Bil'in's struggle succeeded because of the creativity, continuity, and self dependent work, we in Nil'in and Al Ma'ssara villages and other places learned from that and have based our struggle upon it."

An Israeli army unit was situated behind the wall and prevented the crowd from going through the gate by firing tear gas canisters, causing dozens to suffer gas inhalation. Five were injured by rubber-coated steel bullets. Jonathan Pollack, an Israeli activist who comes to Bil'in weekly, said it is his duty as an Israeli to come and help the Palestinian farmers to protect their land:



"As an Israeli it's my duty to be hear, what is being done is being done in my name, and if I done not come hear and actively resist it then I am part of it, I am part of it anyway, but if I come hear and resist it that is the minimum requirement of Israelis, to come hear and actively stand by the people against what the Israeli government is doing to them."

In September 2007 the villagers continued to protest; also, legal proceedings managed to get the Israeli Supreme Court of Justice, who ordered construction work at the annexation wall at Bil'in, to halt.
The court ruled for a re-routing of the wall section built on Bil'in's land. Due to the ruling, the villagers got back 275 acres of the 600 acres the wall was planed to take over.

Sound of {Eyad and his friends dancing}

As the protest ended, people near Eyad Burnat and his friends danced Dabka, the local folk dance for Palestinians and promised more protests to come.

In the village of Nil'in on Friday, villagers held their weekly protest against the illegal Israeli wall being built on the village's land. At noon, the Palestinians and other international and Israeli demonstrators held Friday prayers near the village's land. They then proceeded to march to the area being confiscated by Israel. Demonstrators carried banners calling for national unity and demanded an end to the Israeli occupation.

As soon as locals and their international supporters arrived at the area where Israel is building the wall, soldiers showered them with tear gas and rubber-coated steel bullets. Four were treated for gas inhalation.

For IMEMC.org this is Ghassan Bannoura.


The Political Report

Egyptian-mediated truce efforts for a ceasefire deal between Israel and the Palestinians came to a deadlock this week, after Israel placed new conditions for such a ceasefire IMEMC's James Orwell reports:

This week, the Israeli cabinet decided that Israel will not enter any truce deal with the Gaza-based factions unless Hamas releases a captured Israeli soldier. Israel wanted the release in return for reopening Gaza crossings, while Hamas insists that the issue of soldier Gil'ad Shalit is a separate one.

The cabinet's decision constituted a deadlock in the Egyptian-mediated ceasefire talks, in which Hamas has been involved for the past two weeks that followed the Israeli war on Gaza.

Khalil Abu Leila is a spokesperson for Hamas in Gaza:



"At any rate, the Palestinians have a sole option, defending themselves and if the Zionists attempt to reattack, they will find a high-level readiness by Palestinian resistance factions to defend their Palestinian people and themselves"

In June2006, Hamas captured soldier Shalit in a cross-border attack in southern Gaza and since has demanded the release of at least 1000 Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails. So far the Egyptian-mediated prisoner swap deal has failed as Israel has refused Hamas' list of would-be released prisoners.

Meanwhile, Egyptian officials declared that a Palestinian national unity talks conference, that was slated for Feb.22 has been postponed due to a lack of ceasefire.

At the Israeli level, Israeli president Shimon Peres is set to call the recent Israeli elections winners for forming a new government. Israeli media reports estimate that Peres will call on the Likud party of Benjamin Netanyahu to form the new election.

In the meantime, this weekend, outgoing Israeli prime minister, Ehud Olmert, will be subjected to one more police probe for corruption charges.


For IMEMC.org this is James Orwell.

The Gaza Strip Report

The Israeli army continued its aerial bombardment of the Gaza strip this week, at least three people were reported killed in the strip this week, from Gaza IMEMC’s Rami Al Meghari reports:

A mysterious blast ripped through the northern Gaza Strip town of Beit Lahya, leaving one dead and four others injured Monday at dawn, according to Palestinian medical sources. Sources at the Kamal Edwan Hospital confirmed that Rajab Sobeh, age 25, was killed and four others injured in the blast, two critically.
Meanwhile, Palestinian medics announced that Ali Alqedra, a Palestinian resident from Khan Younis, died of wounds he sustained last Friday, after Israeli warplanes targeted the city. The Popular Resistance Committees mourned the dead as he was one of its fighters. Alqedra was hit while driving his motorcycle.

This week, the Palestinian Ministry of Health, issued calls for people with negative blood types RH to donate blood in the local hospitals in Gaza.

The Ministry said that the blood bank has run out of all negative blood types RH due to the Israeli constant attacks and continued siege. Last month Israel ended a 22 day long offensive which left 1,300 killed and more than 5,500 injured.

Early Wednesday; Israeli warplanes attacked the Gaza-Egypt border line in southern Gaza and shelled a police post in the nearby town of Khan Younis. Medical sources reported no injuries; An elderly woman was pronounced dead due to a heart attack, apparently due to severe bombings on the Gaza-Egypt border line, where the Israeli warplanes have shelled all week long.

Medics also reported that a Palestinian farmer from the Faraheen neighborhood on the southeastern Israel-Gaza border line was wounded by Israeli gun fire whilst working. Meanwhile, Israeli media sources reported that a homemade shell fired from Gaza landed in an open area in southern Israel, with no casualties reported.

Hours after the Israeli cabinet declined to enter a truce with Gaza-based resistance factions; Israeli tanks rolled into eastern Gaza city and opened heavy random fire on Palestinian residents in southern Rafah city. The Al Qassam brigades, an armed wing of the ruling Hamas party in Gaza, said in a statement emailed to media outlets, that the Al Qassam fighters defended against Israeli tank advancement into the eastern parts of Gaza city. No causalities were reported.

On Thursday morning, Israeli tanks opened heavy random fire on Palestinian residences in Rafah city in the southern Gaza Strip. Witnesses said that the tanks, stationed near the Kerem Shalom crossing, opened fire abruptly in the area. No causalities were reported.

For IMEMC.org this is Rami Al Meghari in Gaza.


The West Bank Report

Lead: During the week the Israeli military conducted at least 43 military invasions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank. During those attacks troops kidnapped 82 Palestinian civilians, this and more by IMEMC’s Jessica Husly:

This week, the Israeli army invasions were focused in the West Bank cities of Ramallah, Bethlehem and Hebron. Among the 82 kidnapped this week, there were 17 children.
The Israeli Army withdrew from Jayous village, near the northern West Bank City of Qalqilia, on Wednesday evening after conducting a morning invasion. By Sunset, at least 50 youth from the village were kidnapped and were moved to Huwwara military camp, near Nablus.
In Hebron, Israeli troops stormed offices of the al-Yamama Radio this week, and damaged some of the contents. In addition, one Palestinian man was injured during an Israeli military home search campaign in the city of Hebron on Thursday.
Also in the West Bank, Palestinian security sources reported that a group of armed Israeli settlers stole a car owned by a Palestinian man and set it on fire near the city of Jenin on Wednesday evening. The armed settlers installed a road block just outside Jenin, stopping a Palestinian man driving his taxi at gunpoint, before taking over the car. The man told Palestinian security that settlers took his car to nearby farm land and set fire to it.
In addition, this week the Israeli army ordered closure of Bayariq Charity in Tulkarem, which provides support to at least 1,450 orphans.
Last Saturday, a Palestinian resident of the Beit Hanina neighborhood in East Jerusalem had to demolish his own home that he built ten years ago after he was unable to pay a high fine imposed on him by the Jerusalem Municipality. The Jerusalem municipality said that the home was built without a construction permit and imposed a 130,000 NIS fine.
Al Shalloudi decided to ask the court to allow him to rent bulldozers to demolish his own home in order to avoid the high cost of the Jerusalem Municipality bulldozers and a 60-day imprisonment. The municipality agreed and gave him forty days to remove the rubble at his own expense or else he would have to pay a 14,000 NIS fine.
For IMEMC.org this is ____________.

Conclusion

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