This Week in Palestine -Week 05 2009

As Hamas representatives are holding talks in Cairo over reaching a truce with Israel, more Palestinians died this week of wounds they sustained during the latest offensive 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 Eliza Sprout:

Ramallah

People left the village of Bil'in, located near the central West Bank city of Ramallah after Friday prayers in a massive demonstration, in which international and Israeli peace activists also participated. Waving Palestinian flags and banners people marched calling for solidarity with the people of Gaza, and for the prosecution of war criminals and leaders of the Israeli occupation, as well as slogans calling for national unity.

Demonstrators then headed towards the Wall to try to get onto their land, but the army was stationed in the west of the village behind concrete cubes since early morning, and when the demonstrators tried to approach, the soldiers fired tear-gas, sound bombs and rubber-coated metal bullets, as well as some live bullets. Dozens were treated for gas inhalation.

Also near Ramallah on Friday scores of villagers from Nil'in, held their weekly protest against the illegal Israeli wall being built on the village's land. The people held Friday prayers near the village lands, and then proceeded to march to the land 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 village, soldiers showered them with tear gas and rubber-coated steel bullets. Seven civilians were treated for gas inhalation among them three journalists. Witnesses in the village added that soldiers took over a house at the entrance of the village before the march started placing the family under house arrest.

Bethlehem

Scores of villagers from Al Ma'ssara, located near the southern West Bank city of Bethlehem and their international supporters protested the illegal Israeli wall on Friday. The protesters gathered at the village school then marched towards the location where the Israeli military is building the Wall. People carried Palestinian flags and photos of George Habash, a Palestinian leftist leader, to mark the first anniversary of his death.

Israeli troops stopped the people from reaching their lands and attacked some of them; troops also took some of the demonstrators' ID cards including a number of local journalists and held them for some time. Protesters then blocked the nearby settlers' road for half an hour in protest of the Israeli troops attack on them.


For IMEMC.org this is Eliza Sprout


The Political Report

As Hamas representatives are holding talks in Cairo over reaching a truce with Israel, Israeli prime minister, Ehud Olmert, has conditioned agreement to such a truce with releasing captured Israeli soldier Gil'ad Shalit. Meanwhile, the new U.S administration dispatched its peace envoy to the region. IMEMC's Jessica Hulsey with the story:

This week, the ruling Hamas party in Gaza voiced willingness to reach a ceasefire agreement with Israel on the basis that Israel reopens the Gaza border crossings and lifts the Israeli blockade of the region that has currently been in place for twenty months. The party's proposed truce should last for one and a half years, in which Israel reopens the Gaza crossings including the Rafah terminal which is co-administered by Egypt.

Hamas also accepted the 2005 arrangements for reopening the Rafah terminal, saying it would not object to the Ramallah-based government of President Mahmoud Abbas and the European monitors return to share control of the crossing. Israeli prime minister, Ehud Olmert, whose aids have been negotiating the ceasefire with Cairo officials, conditioned reaching the deal with Hamas with releasing the captured Israeli soldier Gil'ad Shalit, who was captured by Hamas in June of 2006. In a special interview with IMEMC's correspondent in Gaza, Prof. Salem Salama, head of the economic and political committee of the Hamas-dominated parliament, refused Olmert's conditions.



"He conditions reopening the crossings with Shalit or the return of Abbas to Gaza or with the 2005 Rafah crossing operation agreement. All of this has been outdated already. There should be new arrangements to which all agree".

Other Gaza-based factions such as the Islamic Jihad group, the Popular Resistance Committees and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, called for continuing resistance against the Israeli occupation unless the Gaza crossings are reopened. Khaled Albatsh, an Islamic Jihad leader in Gaza, was quoted as saying that his group will announce its position toward any truce deal with Israel before the 5th of February. On Friday, amidst such developments, Israeli media reports said that Israel will respond to the latest attack on an Israeli military jeep on the southern Gaza-Israel border line, where one soldier was killed and three others were wounded.

According to the media reports, the Israeli response will be targeting Hamas and other Gaza-based factions. On the heels of the recent Israeli sea and ground attacks on the Gaza Strip, which claimed the lives of more than 1,300 Palestinians, half of which are women and children and wounded more than 5,500, the U.S new peace envoy, George Mitchell, arrived in the Middle East this week.

The visit is a part of the new U.S president, Barak Obama's attempt, to reach peace between Palestine and Israel. During a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister, Mitchell said that his mission is focused on exploring a new vision for all parties concerned. Prof. Salem Salama comments:



"Barak Obama's administration is similar to the former U.S administration; both are merely two faces of the same coin. Although Obama is a democrat and the former President was a republican, both seek protection of Israel's security, while no one cares for our security. Only God takes care of us and God is greater than them all".

Hamas has downplayed the efforts of the new US administration. They believe that the US continues to assist Israel and boost their security.

For IMEMC.org this is Jessica Hulsey.


The Gaza Strip Report

While Israel continued to attack Gaza in clear violations of the announced cease fire, more Palestinians who were injured during the latest Israeli offensive died of their wounds; from Gaza, IMEMC's Rami Al Meghari explains:

Palestinian medical sources reported on Thursday that a six-year old child along with a teenager died at Egyptian hospitals of wounds suffered during the recent Israeli offensive against the Gaza Strip.

At least six Palestinians were injured when an unmanned Israeli plane fired a missile at a group of civilians in Khan Younis city, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip on Thursday morning. Witnesses said that the missile targeted a motorcyclist driving on the road near al-Nasser hospital. Doctors said that the driver and five children from a nearby UN run school were injured by the attack.

Meanwhile, Palestinian resistance groups said that they fired two home-made shells at Israeli targets near the Gaza Strip in response to Israel's continued attacks on Gaza.
At dawn on Thursday Israeli warplanes hit the Gaza-Egypt border in southern Gaza. Witnesses said that Israeli warplanes shelled the Assalam neighborhood, and that a metal workshop in the city was also hit during the air strikes.

A Palestinian farmer was killed near the Israeli Gaza border when he was fired at by Israeli tanks on Tuesday. Witnesses said that Israeli tanks shelled civilian homes and farms in the village of al-Faraheen which borders Israel and is located near the southern Gaza strip city of Khan Younis,

Israeli media sources said that Israeli troops near the border opened fire and clashed with local fighters before shelling nearby areas. The Israeli Army also said that a road side bomb was detonated by Palestinian fighters close to Israeli military vehicles. An Israeli soldier was killed and three others were injured in the blast. Last week Israeli naval boats violated the declared ceasefire in Gaza on a number of occasions.

On Thursday of last week, Israeli Navy forces opened fire on Palestinian fishermen just off the shore of Gaza City, injuring seven civilians. A day earlier, the boats fired shells at the coast line, causing damage but no injuries.

Israel announced the unilateral ceasefire on Sunday January 17th, 2009 after the Israeli Army embarked on a 22-day military offensive which began on Saturday, December 27th, 2008. Homes, schools, mosques, UN centers, and media agencies were attacked by Israeli air, sea, and ground forces leaving at least 1,330 Palestinians dead.

A Palestinian man was reported dead on Monday in a hospital in Egypt after being in critical condition from wounds he sustained during the latest Israeli attack in the Gaza Strip. The Palestinian Consulate in Cairo reported that the man had been moved to the hospital in Egypt just days before dying.

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


The West Bank Report

This week the Israeli army conducted at least 34 military invasions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank. During those attacks the Israeli army kidnapped 46 Palestinian civilians; IMEMC's John Smith has the story:

This week's military invasions where focused in the cities of Hebron, Ramallah and Jenin. During those invasions, 46 Palestinian civilians were kidnapped with includes at least 14 children.

On Thursday, during an Israeli pre-dawn attack, targeting Beit Omer village near Hebron in the southern West Bank, Israeli troops injured two. During the search of homes in the village, witnesses said that soldiers opened fire at their homes. Jamal AL Allamah, age 62, and his wife Fahmia, age 55, were injured. Doctors said that the two sustained moderate wounds, adding that Al Allamah sustained wounds to his chest, while his wife was hit in her legs.

On Wednesday morning, Israeli military bulldozers demolished a Palestinian owned flat, located in the Silwan neighborhood of Jerusalem. The flat belongs to Talal Al Shoki and his eight family members. Local sources said that this is the second time his flat was demolished by the Israeli military. The Israeli authorities say that the flat was built without the required planning permits. Since Israel occupied the city of Jerusalem in 1967, Palestinian residents have rarely been given permission to build homes, yet funding and building hundreds of homes in illegal settlements continues in and around Jerusalem.

Israeli troops shot and injured two Palestinian youth on Tuesday morning at al-Far'a refugee camp. Al-Far'a refugee camp is located in the northern West Bank city of Tubas. Local sources reported that Israeli soldiers stormed the refugee camp on Tuesday morning and opened fire on local residents and their homes, injuring the two young men.

On Monday, Israeli settlers attacked a group of local shepherds on land located near the city of Tubas in the northern part of the West Bank. The land is located near an Israeli settlement and is owned by local farmers. According to the shepherds, a group of armed Israeli settlers attacked and threatened to shoot them and their sheep if they did not leave. The shepherds reported that the settlers commented that the next time they will shoot to kill.

For IMEMC.org this is John Smith.


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 and Ghassan Bannoura.