This Week in Palestine -Week 31 2009

As ten Palestinians reported dead in Gaza, a series of international diplomatic visits were reported this week, with no breakthrough of peace talks appearing on the horizon. 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 John Simba:

Bil'in

Scores suffered on Friday effects of tear gas inhalation during the weekly nonviolent protest against the wall in Bil'in village central west Bank.

The villagers were joined by International and Israeli supporters. As is the case each week, the march left the village after the midday prayers and headed towered the wall built on the villagers' lands.

As soon as the crowed reached the gate of the wall troops began spraying the demonstrators with green - colored water contaminated by waste animal manure and chemicals case of vomiting were reported among the protesters because of the Water.

Others were treated for the effects to tear gas inhalation after soldiers used it heavily on the crowed.

Nil'in

Also near central West Bank on Friday Israeli soldiers attacked Palestinian villagers along with their international and Israeli peace supporters during the weekly non-violent protest against the wall in Nil'in village.

Villagers marched towards the location of the Israeli wall then held the Friday prayers there, Israeli soldiers attacked people by firing tear gas at them.

Later troops used water canon with Chemicals to spray the protesters. Some protesters suffered cases of poisoning, and side effect. Others suffered effects of tear gas inhalation.


For IMEMC.org this is John Semba.




The Political Report

As the Fatah party of Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas is set to hold its sixth conference in the West Bank city of Bethlehem, a series of international diplomatic visits were reported this week, with no breakthrough of peace talks appearing on the horizon. IMEMC's Jane Smith reports:

About 400 Fatah parliament representatives and party members in Gaza are awaiting permission from the ruling Hamas party in Gaza to leave for the West Bank to attend a Fatah election conference.

Hamas set forth two conditions before the Fatah members leave the region; first, the Palestinian Authority should release hundreds of Hamas members in its jails and, second, that the PA should send passport papers to Gaza for those who want to participate in the Fatah election conference.

Despite a series of mediation efforts by Egypt, Turkey and Syria, the ruling Hamas party in Gaza insisted that the Fatah members should not leave before the Hamas prisoners are released.

Fatah denied there are any political prisoners from Hamas in the West Bank jails, arguing that the Palestinian Authority, represented by Prime Minster Salam Fayad is the one responsible for such an accusation.

In an interview with IMEMC.org, Fatah MP for the Gaza Strip city of Rafah, Radwan Alakhras, who is currently based in the West Bank, refused Hamas's conditions.



"If there had been goodwill and honesty, much dialogue, argument, and time could have been saved. If there had been goodwill, an agreement could have been reached in less than one hour."

In other news, top Palestinian negotiator, Saeb Eriqat, asserted this week that Israel should first freeze settlement building activity including natural growth in the West Bank lands, ease restrictions on movements in the area and lift the blockade of Gaza. Eriqat's remarks came during meetings with a number of international diplomats in Ramallah.

Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, said during a meeting with U.S national security advisor, James Jones, in West Jerusalem, that his government won't lift the siege on Gaza until a captured Israeli soldier is released by Hamas from captivity in Gaza

The Israeli PM also hinted at the possibility that Israel would largely ease movement restrictions in the West Bank. Also, he maintained that Israel would only accept a disarmed Palestinian state along side Israel and that Israel would keep major settlements on Palestinian lands.

Sergio Yanni, an Israeli political analyst says that construction in the settlements will not be stopped:



Since taking office early this year, U.S President Barak Obama has been urging Israel to stop all settlement activities in the occupied West Bank, so that the Palestinian-Israeli peace process could resume on the basis of a two-state solution along the 1967 border lines.

For IMEMC.org this is Jane Smith.


The Gaza Strip Report

Ten Palestinians were reported killed in the Gaza Strip this week, while tanks and bulldozers attacked parts of the coastal region, from Gaza IMEMC’s Rami Al Meghari reports:

Ten Palestinian men were killed in Gaza as tunnels collapsed on them this week. On Monday of this week eight men were killed as a tunnel collapsed on them at the southern Gaza borders with Egypt.

The tunnel collapsed when the gasoline the men were channeling inside the tunnel leaked causing the tunnel to collapse.

Two Palestinian men were reported killed on Wednesday at night and Thursday at dawn as a tunnel collapsed on them at the borders with Egypt near Rafah city, in the southern Gaza Strip.

Since Israel put Gaza under a total siege in June 2007 the tunnels became the main source of much needed supplies for the 1.5 million Palestinians living in the Gaza Strip.

Also in Gaza this week, Israeli tanks continued to invade areas along the Gaza Israeli borders. Tanks opened fire at residents’ homes as bulldozers uprooted trees and destroyed farm lands.

In other news a U.S. Congress Delegation visited the Gaza Strip through the Erez crossing that connects northern Gaza with Israel.

The delegation visited areas in the strip that were attacked by Israel during the 22 day Cast Lead offensive earlier this year. The groups then met with John Ging, the director of UN operations in Gaza, before leaving the Strip.

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



The West Bank Report

This week the Israeli military conducted at least 21 invasions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank. During those attacks Israeli troops kidnapped 14 Palestinian civilians, including two children. IMEMC’s Katharine Orwell reports:

The Israeli military invasions this week targeted Hebron, Ramallah, and Nablus. The military reported that all those kidnapped have been taking to detention camps for questioning.

A Palestinian boy was injured during an Israeli military invasion on Tuesday targeting the northern West Bank city of Nablus. The boy sustained moderate wounds and was moved to a local hospital, local sources reported.

Witnesses say that soldiers stormed Balata refugee camp in Nablus then opened fire at local homes injuring the boy. The residents added that their homes sustained damage from the army attack.

Also on Tuesday, settler organizations including Youth for the Land of Israel and the Land of Israel Faithful continued to erect 11 new illegal outposts in northern and southern areas of the West Bank.

The groups say the move is in response to the visit of US special envoy George Mitchell and his attempts to freeze settlement construction.

Hundreds of Israeli settlers are protesting the US government's demands to stop building settlements on Palestinian land. On Monday, demonstrators marched to Prime Minister Netanyahu's house and then to the U.S consulate in East Jerusalem.

In related news a number of Palestinian families in East Jerusalem received on Monday demolition orders for their homes. The Israeli municipality said that the homes are built without the needed permission.

Palestinian sources say that around 1,200 homes and other structures owned by Palestinian families have been giving demolition orders since the start of this year.

Since Israel occupied the city of Jerusalem in 1967, it has rarely given Palestinian residents permissions to build homes, while it continues to construct settlements in and around the city, an act illegal by international law.

For IMEMC.org this is Katharine Orwell.

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 George Rishmawi.