This Week in Palestine -Week 23 2009

In Palestine this week, a UN fact-finding mission arrived in the Gaza Strip to investigate human rights violations meanwhile the military kills a man and injures nine others in nonviolent protests in the West Bank. These stories, and more, coming up, Stay tuned.
Nonviolent Activities

Lets begin our weekly report with the nonviolent activities in the West Bank with IMEMC's Ghassan Bannoura:
Nil’in
During the weekly non-violent demonstration against the wall in the village of Nil’in, in the central West Bank, the Israeli army killed a Palestinian man and critically wounded a Palestinian boy. Three others sustained moderate wounds.
During this weeks demonstration there was special attention for the speech that US president Obama delivered in Egypt. The villagers welcomed Obama’s speech but affirmed the need to remove the Israeli settlements in the West Bank.
After the Friday prayer, people marched towards the construction site of the wall began. Since the morning the Israeli army had been in the village, positioned on top of the houses. As soon as the protesters approached the construction site, the army opened fire, and also started firing tear gas among the crowd.
Aqel Srour, 36, was killed when Israeli soldiers shot him in his chest with live ammunition. Srour died before the ambulance could arrive.
Israeli troops shot Mohammed Saleh Mousa, 15 years old, using live ammunition. He remains in the intensive care unit of a hospital in Ramallah, where his condition is reported to be very critical. Three others were moderately wounded when they sustained injuries from bullets being shot at them by the army. Others suffered from the effects of tear gas inhalation.
Bil’in
Also near Ramallah, five protesters were injured and dozens suffered from tear gas inhalation when Israeli troops attacked the weekly protest in the village of Bil’in.
Residents of Bil'in and their international and Israelis supporters, marched from the village center after the Friday midday prayers. They were joined by scores of Fatah movement members from the Ramallah district.
As the protestors arrived at the wall, they were greeted by a barrage of sound bombs, tear gas and rubber-coated bullets from the Israeli soldiers.
Three men and two teenagers were injured by rubber-coated steel bullets while dozens were treated for gas inhalation.
For IMEMC.org this is Ghassan Bannoura.
The Political Report
In Palestine this week, a UN fact-finding mission arrived in the Gaza Strip to investigate human rights violations as blood incidents throughout the West Bank overshadowed internal Palestinian politics. IMEMC’s Jessica Hulsey has the story:

Israel said the UN four-member fact-finding mission, headed by South African judge, Richard Goldstone, is unwelcome by Israel. Nevertheless, the UN investigators toured the war-torn region this week, in an attempt to investigate human rights violations by the Israeli army during the three-week attacks on the Gaza Strip.

The ruling Hamas party in Gaza welcomed the group of four and showed a great deal of assistance to its work during visits to different parts of the coastal territory and hearing from witnesses who were effected by the war.

Arrival of the group came in the backdrop of the latest Amnesty International's report, which highlighted Human Rights violations by Hamas in Gaza during and after the war. Part of the accusations against Hamas were extra-judicial arresting, torturing, wounding or killing dozens of residents, on factional grounds or due to alleged collaboration with Israel

Dr. Ahmad Yousef is the deputy-director of the Hamas-run foreign ministry in Gaza.



The Hamas government called on international players to put pressure on Israel to lift the crippling Israeli blockade on Gaza.

In another development, this week, Hamas welcomed a speech in Cairo by U.S President Barak Hussein Obama, as bearing a new rhetoric towards the peace process. Obama pointed out the Palestinian people's right to a statehood and self-determination.

However, Hamas and other Gaza-based political factions believe that such a position needs to be interpreted by genuinely pressuring Israel to accept peace that is based on international legitimacy and UN resolutions, pertaining to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

This week, Israel reiterated its rejection to a recent U.S demand to halt all forms of settlements building or expansion including natural growth, to inject momentum to a long-stalled Israeli-Palestinian peace process.

In a separate issue, the ruling Hamas party hinted at its willingness to withdraw from Cairo-hosted national unity talks with the rival Fatah party. The new Hamas' stance came in reaction to a series of bloody incidents this week in the West Bank. Five Hamas fighters, four security officers and a civilian were killed during clashes between Palestinian Authority's Fatah run securities and Hamas fighters in the city of Qalqilia this week.
Faouzi Barhum, a spokesperson of Hamas in Gaza

"We believe in the authority of the law and everyone should abide by it. We also believe that the internal deluge will be the only way to dismantle all obstacles facing our National unity."
Also, Hamas’ government in Gaza described the President Abbas-led Palestinian Authority in the West Bank as collaborating with the Israeli occupation, saying that what happened has crossed 'red lines'.
Both Fatah and Hamas parties are still not close to an agreement. Hamas doesn't want to recognize Israel before Israel ends the occupation of the West Bank and lifts the blockade enforced on Gaza. At the same time, Fatah wants a government that honors previously-signed peace accords with Israel.
For IMEMC.org this is Jessica Hulsey.
The Gaza Strip Report
The Israeli military has continued to close all border crossings to the Gaza Strip for more than two years. Israel’s siege of Gaza, which has steadily tightened since June of 2007, has had a disastrous impact on the humanitarian and economic situation in the Gaza Strip. From Gaza, IMEMC’s Rami Al Meghari with updates:
On Thursday, the Israeli navy kidnapped two Palestinian fishermen off the Gaza City shores. Witnesses said that Navy forces stopped the boat of the fishermen and took them to an unknown location
On Wednesday at dawn, four Palestinians suffered minor injuries after the Israeli army fired artillery shells at open areas in the northern part of the Gaza Strip.
Medical sources said that all four injured Palestinians sustained light wounds after they had been hit by fragments of shells. Eyewitnesses reported that the army fired several shells towards different areas in northern Gaza.
Also in Gaza, the Al Aqsa brigades, the armed wing of the Fateh movement, reported that two of its fighters were wounded on Wednesday at dawn during clashes with Israeli forces near the Al Hawouz area, in the northern part of the Gaza Strip. The brigades added that the two injured fighters were moved to a local hospital.
It stated that its fighters clashed with Israeli forces operating in northern Gaza, and added that the fighters will counter all Israeli assaults and will retaliate against ongoing Israeli crimes in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.
The brigades also claimed responsibility for firing thee RPG shells on Tuesday evening at a number of Israeli tanks located near the Gaza border.
For IMEMC.org this is Rami Al Meghari.
The West Bank Report
During the week, the Israeli military conducted at least 24 military incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank. Israeli forces kidnapped at least 35 Palestinian civilians; IMEMC’s Catherine Orwell has the details:
This week, the Israeli military invasions targeted Bethlehem, Hebron, Ramallah and Nablus.
Six Palestinians were wounded, one seriously, on Monday morning after they were attacked by a group of extremist settlers at the Kidumim junction on the Nablus - Qalqilia road. The six Palestinians were on their way to work when the attack happened. Another two Palestinian civilians were injured on Monday when Israeli troops fired tear gas at their home in Saffa village near the southern West Bank city of Hebron.
On Tuesday at dawn, an Israeli settler shot and killed one Palestinian and seriously wounded a Jewish man near the walls of the Old City of Jerusalem. The Israeli police described the attack as a “random shooting spree”.
Police reports said that the shooter claimed he felt threatened when an Arab man approached him, and therefore opened fire at him. He added that he shot and seriously wounded the second man after this man approached him asking for a cigarette.
The settler also opened fire at a third man who managed to escape unharmed. The police said that the settler had no criminal history and that the gun he used is licensed. The police are currently investigating whether the attacks were a planned shooting spree.
Also on Tuesday, one soldier was moderately wounded after he was stabbed by a Palestinian youth at the Huwwara roadblock, near the northern West Bank city of Nablus.
The soldier sustained minor injuries. The army closed the roadblock while an Israeli ambulance rushed to the scene and evacuated the wounded soldier.
On Thursday in the West Bank, Israeli soldiers invaded the Northern Plaines area, demolishing homes and forcing the residents out. The area is mainly inhabited by farmers. 30 days ago, the army handed the residents military orders to evacuate from the area where they had been living for decades.
For IMEMC.org this is Catherine Orwell.
Conclusion

And that's 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 Dina Awwad.