5 minutes from palestine

This Week in Palestine - a service of the International Middle East Media Center, IMEMC.org, for the week of February 25th to March 3rd, 2005.

Weekly Audio Report
February 25 – March 3, 2005

This Week in Palestine - a service of the International Middle East Media Center, IMEMC.org, for the week of February 25th to March 3rd, 2005.

The atmosphere of cooperation between Israeli and Paletinian leaders deteriorated. this week with ongoing Israeli military invasions into Palestinian communities, the announcement of new plans to expand illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank and a suicide bombing in Tel Aviv.

Last Thursday, The Permanent Israeli Fund revealed its plan to expand Israeli settlements in the West Bank. Coming days after the Israeli government approved the dismantlement of settlements in Gaza, this plan includes building 6,391 new houses and legalizing 120 illegal settlement outposts. The fund, which is headed by Israeli Deputy Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, has illegally annexed and purchased 6,000 dunums of land throughout the West Bank. Dozens of indigenous, pastoral Beduin families will be displaced for the second or third time by the Isreali army to make room for 1,500 new units in Ma’ali Adumim, one of the largest settlements in the West Bank.

Dr. Jad Isaac of the Applied Research Institute of Jersulalem described the Israeli settlement policy as a land grab and an attempt to “israelize” Jerusalem.

Near the northern West Bank city of Tulkarem, a 70-year-old Palestinian man, sustained a head injury when he was hit by a bulldozer. He and dozens of other local residents were attempting to stop the Israeli military from uprooting their fields in order to expand a neighboring Israeli settlement.

Late Friday night a suicide bombing in Tel-Aviv killed 5 and injured 50 Israelis. The Palestinian resistance group, Islamic Jihad, claimed responsibility, stating the attack was a response to numerous Israeli violations of the truce agreed upon by Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. Both leaders denounced the attack and promised to pursue and punish those responsible.

Meanwhile, Isreal tightened its hold on the occupied Palestinian territories this week. The Israeli military killed 3 Palestinian civilians, including two children. At least 40 Palestinians were arrested during Israeli military invasions in West Bank areas of Nablus, Tulkarem, Jenin, Qalqilia, Salfit and Tubas. In Gaza, the Israeli military continued shelling residential areas in Khan Younis, seriously wounding a Palestinian girl. Friday afternoon, a Palestinian medical source reported that Israeli soldiers killed a 16-year-old child in Rafah.

Tuesday afternoon, the Israeli army invaded Al-Quds University near Jerusalem and detained students, teachers and staff for several hours. After the soldiers withdrew from the campus, more than 500 people were detained again attempting to cross a nearby checkpoint on their way home. The Palestinians were held at gunpoint, verbally harrassed and beaten by the Israeli soldiers. Monther Sameyeh, a 20-year-old student at Al Quds University describes his encounter with the soldiers.

Also this week, illegal Israeli settlers continued their campaign of viloence, intimidation and property destruction in the southern West Bank region of Hebron. Saturday morning, a group of Israeli settlers attacked and injured a 55-year-old farmer while he was working in his field. Israeli soldiers shot and seriously injured a 14-year-old girl and clubbed and punched a resident of the village of Yatta.

Tuesday afternoon, Israeli settlers uprooted and bulldozed family farmlands in the village of Wad Al-Hsein, east of Hebron. Witnesses said that dozens of armed settlers threatened to kill the residents who tried to protect their lands. The Ministry of agriculture in Hebron reported that Israeli soldiers and settlers uprooted 1,760 trees during the month of February.

On Saturday, several Palestinian families returned to their homes in Gawish village near Hebron after being evicted by Israeli settlers two and a half years ago. Lawrence from the International Solidarity Movement in Hebron talks about their return and the response of the Israeli settlers.

This report has been brought to you by the International Middle East Media Center, IMEMC.org in Beit Sahour, Palestine.