In its weekly summary of Israeli attacks for the week of 21 - 27 August 2008, the Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR) reports that 9 Palestinian civilians, including 5 children, and an Israeli human rights defender, were wounded by Israeli gunfire in the West Bank. The 9 civilians were all wounded when Israeli forces used force against peaceful demonstrations organized in protest of the construction of the Annexation Wall in Ne’lin village, west of Ramallah. In addition, Israeli forces used a foul smelling liquid against the demonstrators. Full Story

During a Thursday press conference with reporters in Lebanon, Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas, said all Palestinian refugees should have the right to return home, and added the internationally guaranteed Right of Return is one of the key issues in peace talks with Israel. Full Story

The Israeli Police and the Internal Security Services announced that they arrested two Arab residents of Israel, residents of Shfa-Amr Arab town, and claimed that the two “conducted security violations”. The two were arrested more than three weeks ago but a gag order on the case barred any leaking of information to the media. Full Story

After successfully breaking the siege on Gaza via sea on Saturday, the Free Gaza boats were slated to leave at 2 pm instead of the previously slated morning departure. Seven Palestinians who have been previously been denied exit visas will be leaving with them. Full Story

Egypt said will reopen the Rafah crossing with the Gaza Strip on Saturday and Sunday to in order to end the plight of 200 Egyptians stranded in the Gaza Strip for the past seven months, media outlets reported on Thursday. Full Story

A group of Israeli settlers set a construction workshop on fire on Thursday morning in Burin village near the south of the West Bank city of Nablus. Full Story

Israeli troops invaded the West Bank cities of Tulkarem, Hebron, Bethlehem, Jenin and Tubas on Thursday morning and kidnapped  ten civilians, local sources reported. Full Story

After being held overnight in Ashkelon Prison, Israeli peace activist Jeff Halper was released Wednesday. While the 44 international activists on the two 'Free Gaza' boats were allowed by the Israeli military occupation to enter the Gaza Strip with humanitarian supplies, Halper, an Israeli citizen born in the US, was the only one detained. Full Story

An Israeli military force kidnapped six Palestinian civilians from the West Bank city of Nablus on Thursday at dawn, local sources reported Full Story

While US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has been pressuring Israel to stop the expansion of Israeli settlements on Palestinian land, the US government has, at the same time, been offering tax breaks to US-based organizations who engage in settlement expansion. Full Story

After returning from Egypt following a Wednesday meeting with Egypt’s President, Hosny Mubarak, Israel’s Defense Minister, Ehud Barak, sad that Israel will ease the conditions it imposes on the criterion that determinism which detainees are eligible to be freed in return for releasing the captured Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit. Full Story

John Ging, UNRWA’s Director of Operations in Gaza announced that the association will grant nearly 20.0000 NIS (nearly $ 6M) to the students of UNRWA schools in the Gaza Strip in order to help them in buying stationary and supplies needed to start the new school year, the Palestinian Infromation Center reported. Full Story