Non-violent protester shot in head by Israeli troops; 4 others wounded

Source : International Middle East Media Center

21-year old Ibrahim Awad was shot in the head at close range by a plastic-coated steel bullet fired by Israeli forces at a protest in Beit Ummar, in the southern part of the West Bank. A journalist was wounded in Bil’in and three were injured by pepper spray in al-Walaja, near Bethlehem.

Teargas in the village of Beit Ummar (image by occupiedpalestine.wordpress.com)

Popular committee spokesman Yousef Abu Maria said the protest was held to challenge the ongoing violations of Palestinians’ rights by Israeli settlers in the Hebron area.

Anti wall and settlement protests were organized this week in the villages of al Nabi Saleh, Bil’in, Nil’in as well as Al Walaja in southern west Bank.

Many were treated for the effects of tear gas inhalation when soldiers attacked villagers and their supporters at the village of Bil’in, Ni’lin and al Nabi Saleh.

In Bil’in and Ni’lin, residents and their international and Israeli supporters, managed to reach the wall. Soldiers stationed there fired tear gas and chemical water on protesters. Haytham Al Khatieb, a local journalist from Bil’in also sustained light wounds in his hand when soldiers shot him with rubber-coated steel bullets.

However at the nearby Al Nabi Saleh village Israeli soldiers attacked the unarmed protesters at the village entrance then invaded the village and fired tear gas into residents’ homes. Earlier in the week Israeli settlers from the illegal Halmish settlement near Al Nabi Saleh closed the road leading to the village and attacked residents cars and homes. Damage was reported but no injuries.

Elsewhere, In Al-Walaja village near Bethlehem, residents marched towards the gate installed on the eastern entrance of the village which separates the village from the nearby Cremisan Monastery. The gate is part of the separation wall built on the village's land.

The protest was called for by the Popular Committee against the Wall and Settlements as part of a week of popular resistance activities to commemorate the 65th anniversary of Palestinian dispossession in 1948 known by Palestinians as al-Nakba.

As soon as the protesters arrived at the gate, Israeli soldiers started pushing them backwards away from the gate, which was recently installed.

Protesters tried to force their way through, and three protesters suffered burns in the face as Israeli troops sprayed them with pepper spray.

The three young men have been transferred to the nearby Arabic Society Rehabilitation hospital for treatment, where their condition has been described as moderate.

west bank | non -violent action |

Palestinian Authority Rejects Bethlehem Settler Visit

Source  :  Fars News Agency

TEHRAN (FNA)- The Palestinian Authority said it rejects Israeli plans to bring a group of settlers to the historic Solomon's Pools site near Bethlehem in the occupied West Bank.

On Thursday the deputy governor of Bethlehem, Mohammad Taha, told Ma'an that the decision was a "flagrant violation" of the Oslo Accords which designate areas of control in the occupied territories. The pools are in Area A -- the 17 percent of the West Bank under the full control of the Palestinian Authority.

Taha said the Palestinian Authority would act to prevent settlers from entering the area. He was to meet with a Bethlehem security commander Thursday to discuss the issue.

The official called on Palestinians to reject the visit.

The visit, scheduled for Sunday, was to be accompanied by Israeli soldiers, according to Israeli media. The group planning the trip is from a school in the illegal Gush Etzion settlement bloc.

Palestine readying to propose Battir for UNESCO protection

Source :   Maan News Agency

BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) -- Palestinian experts are putting the final touches on Palestine's 2013 submission to the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, which will propose the ancient Bethlehem village of Battir as a heritage site.

The proposal, which outlines historical, natural, and cultural features of the hillside village, will be submitted by mid-February, the PA Ministry of Foreign Affairs official working on UNESCO, Omar Awadallah, told Ma'an.

The committee will vote on whether Battir takes World Heritage status at th June general conference, he said. A Palestinian official delegation will atten the conference.

Palestine was admitted to the UN cultural agency in 2011, and last Jun UNESCO designated Bethlehem's Church of the Nativity and the nearb pilgrimage route as a World Heritage site.

Battir village, with a population of about 4,500, uses an ancient system o irrigation that has provided fresh water to the community for centuries.

The proposed route of Israel's separation wall will damage the terraces use for irrigation and cut off villagers from their fields and source of income.

Last year, Israel's Haaretz newspaper said an Israeli state agency ha opposed the wall route in Battir, the first time an Israeli government bod had challenged the wall.

The Nature and Parks Authority said the wall will also lead to the extinctio of wild animals by inhibiting their movement.