This Week in Palestine -Week 29 2009

This week rival Palestinian parties traded accusations of foiling national unity, while Israeli settlers and military attack are reported in both Gaza and the West Bank. 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 Ghassan Bannoura:

Dozens of protesters suffered the effects of gas inhalation as Israeli troops attacked the weekly protest against the separation wall in the village of Bil'in on Friday.

International and Israeli supporters joined villagers in the demonstration began in the center of the village after the Friday midday prayers. The protesters demanded a halt to the construction of illegal Israeli settlements and the separation wall.

As the protesters arrived at the wall, Israeli troops stationed there fired a barrage of sound bombs, tear gas and rubber-coated bullets. The troops then used a water canon to spray the demonstrators with water containing chemicals. Some of the protesters showed signs of poisoning after coming into contact with the water.

In related news, the Israeli military continued its invasions of the village of Bil'in this week. Local sources reported that the army kidnapped three young men from the village.

Also on Friday near Ramallah, Israeli soldiers attacked the weekly non-violent protest against the wall in the village of Nil'in.

The villagers were joined by international and Israeli peace activists. Among those who took part in Friday’s protest was the Palestinian Minister of agriculture, Isma'el D'eek.

As the villagers marched towards the wall, soldiers fired tear gas at them. Scores were treated for the effects of tear gas inhalation.

For IMEMC.org this is Ghassan Bannoura.

The Political Report

Rival Palestinian parties, Fatah and Hamas, have been trading accusations of foiling current Cairo-mediated talks on national unity. In the meantime, U.S president Barak Obama urged Israel to soften their position over settlement activity in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. IMEMC’s George Rishmawi reports:

This week, rival Palestinian parties, Hamas and Fatah, traded accusations of blocking national unity dialogue which has been in place for one year now. Leaders from both parties blamed each other for political arrests of the other member in both the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.

Egyptian mediators left the Palestinian territories for Cairo this week. They discussed possibilities on how to make the upcoming dialogue in Cairo successful. Parties are expected to work out an agreement by July 25th.

Meanwhile, sources within Fatah hinted at the possibility that President Mahmoud Abbas of Fatah would ask Egyptian mediators to postpone the session on July 25 due to Fatah's general elections on August 4th.

In the meantime, this week, Israel dispatched its representative for a prisoner swap deal with the Palestinians to Egypt, amidst expectations to reach an agreement soon.

Israel has refused to release the list of 1000 prisoners that the ruling Hamas party in Gaza wants to see freed in return for a captured Israeli soldier that they have had since June of 2006.

In Gaza this week, a group of 200 Americans and Europeans arrived in the region within a solidarity convoy through the Rafah crossing terminal. The convoy, the second of its type in the past few months, is led by British MP George Gallawy and American congresswomen, Cynthia McKinney.

Solidarity campaigns to Gaza are intended to break a two-year-long Israeli blockade, Israel enforced after Hamas ousted Fatah-loyal Palestinian authority and took control of the territory on June14th, 2007.

Hamas' seizure of Gaza came four months after the first unity government of both parties failed. Hamas and Fatah engaged in internal fighting over political views a few months after the Islamist Hamas won the parliamentary elections in January of 2006.

For IMEMC.org this George Rishmawi.


The Gaza Strip Report

As Israel continues its siege of the Gaza Strip, this week a group of 200 Americans lead by British MP George Galloway was allowed into the Strip and delivered much needed aid supplies, from Gaza IMEMC’s Rami Al Meghari reports:

A body of a young Palestinian man was found on Thursday in Gaza inside an underground tunnel connecting the southern town of Rafah with Egypt.

The Palestinian police reported that the man was killed and then his body had been dumped inside the tunnel.

The police added that the body was discovered by workers who were moving goods between Egypt and Gaza.

Around 200 Americans, the crew of the Viva Palestina aid convoy, entered the Gaza Strip on Wednesday.

The convoy, 50 trucks loaded with food and medical supplies arrived at the Egyptian-Gaza boarders earlier that day. Egypt only allowed 12 trucks to enter, the other trucks were left behind at the Egyptian side of the borders.

The Convoy was organized by the British MP George Galloway. Former US Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney, who was deported from Israel last Wednesday while attempting to bring several tons of aid to Gaza by boat, had joined the Viva Palestina convoy.

The aid convoy is the second one organized by Galloway. The first convoy successfully brought aid from the United Kingdom earlier this year.

Israel has placed the Gaza Strip under a strict total siege in June 2007 driving the economy on the verge of collapse and leaving the Gaza population of 1.5 million Palestinians without basic food, medical and fuel supplies.

Also in Gaza this week, Israeli tanks and bulldozers invaded farm lands located in the northern part of the Strip, on Tuesday afternoon. Witnesses said that Israeli tanks rolled into farm lands in the town of Beit Hanoun and opened fire at residents' homes. Bulldozers came in after to destroy farm lands.

The Al Qassam Brigades the armed wing of the ruling Hamas party in Gaza said that its fighters clashed with the invading troops and fired RPG shells at them. No injuries were reported on both sides.

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

The West Bank Report

This week the Israeli military conducted at least 11 invasions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank. During those attacks Israeli troops kidnapped 20 Palestinian civilians, and an American human rights activist, IMEMC’s Jane Smith reports:

The Israeli military invasions this week targeted Jericho, Ramallah, and Bethlehem. In June the military said it would stop to invade those cities. However the army has violated its own pledge numerous times already.

Settlers continued their attacks this week. Israeli settlers set fire to and destroyed Palestinian owned lands on Monday that belong to villagers of Saffa near the southern West Bank city of Hebron. The damaged 37 acres contained olive trees, grape vines, the farmers said. They added that the settlers came from the nearby illegal settlement of Beit Ein.
Israeli bulldozers destroyed on Tuesday 4.5 acres of Palestinian farm lands near the northern West bank city of Nablus. Local sources reported that the lands are located near the illegal Israeli settlement of Yitshar and owned by farmers from nearby villages.

The villagers say the settlers want to expand their settlement using their land. They added that the settlers attacked them when they tried to stop the bulldozers.
Earlier a group of armed Israeli settlers attacked and injured a Palestinian child on Monday night in the southern West Bank city of Hebron.

Medical sources announced that Hanni Abu Hikal, aged 14, sustained light wounds after he was beaten up by settlers.

A group of armed Israeli settlers ransacked on Wednesday a Palestinian home located in Bil'a village near the northern West Bank city of Tulkarem. The villagers said settlers were aided by the soldiers and after they attacked the house they walked around the village in an attempt to provoke the farmers.

In other news the Israeli municipality of Jerusalem demolished on Monday two Palestinian owned homes located in East Jerusalem, in one of the cases Israeli forces attacked the family that owned the house. The municipality says the houses were built without the needed permission.

Local sources said that soldiers attacked the owner of one of the demolished houses and his mom when they did not want to evacuate their house, located in Beit Hanina. Troops also kidnapped the owner's brother, witnesses reported.

Israeli occupied Jerusalem in 1967. Since then it has rarely given Palestinian residents permissions to built homes, while it continue to built settlements in and around the city, an act which is illegal by international law.

For IMEMC.org this is Jane Smith.

Conclusion

And that's just some of the news of 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.