This week Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, endorsed the construction of hundreds of settlement units on occupied Palestinian land while, settler and military attacks continued in both the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. These stories, and more, coming up, Stay tuned.

Nonviolent Activities

Let's begin our weekly report with the nonviolent activities in the West Bank with IMEMC's Luke Peterson:

Bil'in

Two were injured and dozens suffered the effects of teargas inhalation in the village of Bil’in, central West Bank, during the weekly protest there on Friday.

The two injured were locals Ashraf Abu Rahmah and Khamees Abu Rahmah. The villagers along with their international and Israeli supporters marched from the village after the midday prayers.

When the demonstrators approached the gate of the wall which separate the villagers from their lands and tried to open it, Israeli soldiers unleashed tear gas and sound bombs, causing two injuries and dozens of cases of suffocation.

Nil'in

Dozens of Palestinians and internationals suffered the effects of tear gas inhalation on Friday as Israeli soldiers attacked the weekly nonviolent protest against the Wall in Nil'in village near the central West Bank city of Ramallah.

Villagers and their supporters held midday prayers at the location where Israel is building the Wall. Later the villagers set old car tires on fir in protest of the Wall then raised Palestinian flags.

As soon as people tried to come close to the Wall, Israeli soldiers attacked them with tear gas and rubber coated steel bullets in addition to spraying them with a water-based chemical mixture.

Dozens suffered the effects of tear gas inhalation and nausea due to the chemical mixture.


For IMEMC.org this is Luke Peterson
The Political Report

As Palestinians continue to demand a freeze on all Israeli settlement activities in occupied Palestinian territory, this week Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu endorsed the construction of hundreds of settlement units in occupied East Jerusalem. Also this week, rival Palestinian parties, Fatah and Hamas, received an Egyptian document for reconciliation ahead of a new round of Cairo-brokered talks. IMEMC’s Jessica Hulsey reports:

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, said this week that he is willing to resume peace talks with the Palestinians, based on security guarantees for Israel.

Netanyahu had previously outlined his peace process policy by allowing a contingent demilitarized state on 1967 border lines.

This week, the president of Palestine, reiterated the PA's refusal to resume peace negotiations unless Israel stops all illegal settlement activity on occupied Palestinian territories. Abbas' remarks came amidst reports on U.S-led effort to bring both Palestinian and Israeli leaders together in the upcoming UN general assembly meeting in New York.

Washington has demanded that Israel halt such settlement activity in order to forge an agreement between Palestinians and Israelis. This agreement has been protracted since a Washington-sponsored peace summit of Annapolis was launched in November2007.

On another issue, top exiled leader of the Hamas party, Khaled Mash'al, warned after meetings with Egyptian officials of normalization with Israel. Mash'al said unless Israel ends the occupation on Arab land, normalization remains unaccepted.

Hussam Zaki, top official at the Arab states league, refused normalization with Israel before Israel enters real peace agreement with the parties concerned, including the Palestinians and Syrians.

For other news this week, both the rival Fatah and Hamas parties said they would respond to an Egyptian-produced document for reconciliation between them. A Fatah leader and head of the party's parliamentary bloc, Azzam Alahmad, had initially rejected the date, set by the document, for general Palestinian elections.

Alahmad was quoted as saying that January 25, 2010 is the date for elections and that the Egyptian-suggested date during the first half of 2010, is not working as Palestinians are eager to end current division.

Hamas, from its part, reaffirmed its position that Hamas prisoners who are being jailed inside PA prisons in the West Bank, should be first released before any national unity talks with Fatah go into effect.

Ahmad Bahar, deputy-speaker of the Hamas-dominated parliament in Gaza, maintained that his party is keen to see all Hamas prisoners released before the dialogue proceeds.

Noteworthy, the Hamas-led government in Gaza continues to jail a number of Fatah leaders and supporters in the Gaza Strip, denying the arrests are politically-based.

For IMEMC.org this is Jessica Hulsey.


The Gaza Strip Report

One Palestinian child died this week in the Gaza Strip because of the continuing Israeli siege of the region. Meanwhile the Israeli military attacked border areas in Gaza. From Gaza IMEMC’s Rami Al Meghari reports:

A Palestinian child was announced dead on Wednesday after she was prevented from leaving the Gaza Strip to receive the medical care she needed. Dinna Al Zakzok, seven years old, had Lymphatic gland tumor, her family had successfully applied for all the needed documents to leave Gaza but still the Israeli military did not allow her to leave.

The Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza announced that the number of patients who died in Gaza due to the Israeli siege has now reached 352.

Israel placed the Gaza Strip under total siege in June of 2007 leaving the 1.5 million Palestinians living there in lack of food, fuel and medical supplies.
The Israeli military conducted a number of invasions into border areas of the Gaza Strip this week, during which they leveled farm huts, and destroyed lands. On Wednesday afternoon Israeli tanks and bulldozers invaded farm lands located in the northern part of the Strip.
Farmers said Israeli tanks opened fire at them and their homes as bulldozers destroyed farm lands and uprooted trees. Medical sources announced that a farmer was moderately injured by tank fire and was moved to a hospital for treatment.

The Abu Ali brigades, the armed wing of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, said its fighters fired RPG shells at the invading tanks. The Israeli military said troops came under fire while operating in the northern Gaza Strip, but reported no injuries.

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




The West Bank Report

The Israeli military this week conducted at least 38 military incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank. Troops kidnapped 22 Palestinian civilians, including two children. IMEMC Katharine Orwell Reports:

This week military attacks were focused on the cities of Ramallah, Hebron, Qalqilia, Tulkarem and Jericho. In June the Israeli military said it would stop its invasions into the cities of Ramallah and Qalqilia, as well as Bethlehem and Jericho. However, to date, attacks targeting those cities have continued.

Ten Palestinians were wounded when a group of fundamentalist settlers attacked several Palestinians shortly after the Israeli army evacuated dozens of settlers from a tent outpost in the southern West Bank.

The settlers targeted homes close to the Susia illegal settlement, south of Yatta, near Hebron. They attacked Palestinians living in tents on their own lands, while the army looked on and made no attempt to interfere.

The ten residents suffered concussion and bruises after being beaten by the settlers. The wounded are from Khirbit Susia, a small village close to the illegal Susia outpost. The residents have been facing repeated attacks by settlers who are trying to force them out of their lands in order to expand their illegal settlement outpost.

On Monday Israeli settlers uprooted 50 olive trees near the central West Bank city of Ramallah, Palestinian sources said. Farmers arrived to their lands on Monday morning to find the uprooted trees lying on the land. The Israeli military announced that a group of settlers undertook the attack.

Just days before Monday’s attack a group of Israeli settlers uprooted 150 olive trees of Palestinian farmers in the central West Bank.

Later on in the week, on Wednesday afternoon, a group of armed Israeli settlers attacked the village of Oreef in the northern West Bank and leveled one house there.

Local sources announced that the group of settlers stormed a house that is under construction and that belongs to one of the villagers. Settlers then leveled the house and attacked villagers nearby. Witnesses said that clashes took place between the villagers and settlers who came from the nearby illegal settlement of Yitzar. No injuries were reported.


For IMEMC.org this is Katharine Orwell.


Conclusion

And that's just some of the news from this week in Palestine. For regular updates, please visit our website at www.IMEMC.org. Thank you for joining us from Occupied Bethlehem. This week's report has been brought to you by Dina Awwad.