Following a popular demand to end the internal Palestinian division, President Abbas is set to visit the Gaza Strip soon, meanwhile Israeli military and settlers step up attacks against Palestinian civilians in the wake of the murder of five Israeli settlers in the West Bank, these stories and more coming up, stay tuned.

Nonviolence Lets us begin our weekly report as usual with the nonviolent activities in West Bank with Circarre Parrhesia
Political Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said this week he is ready to visit the Gaza Strip to conclude a reconciliation deal with the ruling Hamas party there. Abbas's willingness came after thousands or protesters in West Bank and Gaza demanded end internal division in place for four years now. IMEMC's Rami Al-Meghari has more

In a clear reaction to Palestinian movement for change and towards a national unity, Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, voiced in-acceptance of a likely national unity between Gaza and the West Bank. This has been considered by Palestinian sources as interference in Palestinian internal affairs.

The Israeli PM was quoted as saying that a unity between President Abbas and the ruling Hamas party is similar to having partnership with the Islamist global Qaeda group.

Nevertheless, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is determined to go for reconciliation with Hamas in Gaza on basis of a new autocratic government that would prepare the atmosphere for general presidential and legislative elections in a period of six months.

Yet, Hamas has not given final response to Abbas's initiative but welcomed it principally. Other Palestinian factions and affiliations in Gaza and the West Bank have welcomed the call as a step on the right track.

This week, Palestinian masses in the occupied Palestinian territories packed the streets of several Palestinian cities including Gaza and Ramallah, demanding an end to Hamas-Fatah split.

In the Gaza Strip,, Hamas's Prime Minister, Ismail Haniya, invited the Fatah party of president Mahmoud Abbas for an immediate dialogue that is based on the Palestinian national interests'

Hamas and Fatah parties have been divided since Hamas took over Gaza in June 2007, amidst factional fighting with Fatah. Hamas won parliamentary elections in 2006, but was boycotted by Israel and the international community until Hamas recognizes Israel, renounces violence and accepts past-signed agreements with Israel.

At the external Palestinian level, the Palestinian Authority says that the Palestinian legitimate demands for a statehood with east Jerusalem as its capital based on 1967 borders , have been continually and widely accepted by some world countries.

PA, led by President Mahmoud Abbas, refuses to resume peace talks with Israel until Israel halts all forms of illegal settlement buildings on occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem.

Rami Almeghari. IMEMC.org, Gaza.


The Israeli Attacks Report
Two Palestinians were killed and five others injured as the Israeli military continued to target Palestinian communities in both the West Bank and Gaza. IMEMC’s David steel reports:

On Tuesday of this week Israeli fighter jets fired 3 missiles at Palestinian National Security Forces location, south of Gaza City. As a result, a guard and a member of the al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, were killed.

Two workers of the Palestinian Ministry of Public Works, who were working nearly 20 meters away from the site, were wounded. Additionally, three buildings on the site were also destroyed. On the same day, the Israeli navy wounded a Palestinian fisherman in the northern Gaza Strip.

On Thursday, in the illegal Israeli settlement of Shilo, near Ramallah in central West Bank, a group of settlers assaulted two Palestinian workers with knives and pipes. Thirty-four-year-old Sami Sanoubar was taken to the hospital with injuries to his head and hands, while another unnamed worker was treated at the scene.

Israeli news sources said that a settlement guard tried to stop the assault but was beaten as well, and that police were searching for suspects. Settler attacks have been on the rise since Saturday’s murder of five Jewish settlers in the settlement of Itamar; an attack for which no culprit has yet been found. Israeli officials have widely blamed Palestinians, but no evidence has been released to support the assumption.

Awarta village, which lies east of Itamar, was heavily attacked by the Israeli army following Saturday's murders. Soldiers arrested 30 men form the village and kept it under curfew for four days.

Meanwhile this week the Israeli army conducted at least 47 military incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank, during which they arrested 66 Palestinian civilians, including 6 children.

In the Gaza Strip, the Israeli army conducted a limited incursion into al-Boreij refugee camp, during which they raised areas of Palestinian land.

For IMEMC.org this is David steel.

And that was just some of the news from this week in Palestine, for more updates; please visit our website at www.imemc.org. Thank you for joining us from occupied Bethlehem, This report has been brought to you by Husam Qassis and George Rishmawi