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Welcome to Palestine Today, a service of the International Middle East Media Centre, www.imemc.org for Tuesday August 2nd, 2011.
Israeli court rules the dismantle of an unauthorized settlement outpost in the West Bank, while Israeli Air Force attacks the Gaza Strip, these stories and more coming up, stay tuned.
The Israeli Supreme Court issued on Tuesday a ruling ordering the state to dismantle the largest unauthorized settlement outpost of Migron in the West Bank by April 2012.
This unprecedented decision follows a petition filed by Israeli Peace Now movement, claiming that the Migron outpost is built over land privately owned by Palestinians. The Israeli government failed to dismantle the out post, despite several previous promises, instead the government budgeted around 4 million shekels for the building of this outpost.
Migron was established in 1999 and again in 2001 on lands belong to Palestinians northwest of Jerusalem, and was encouraged by Israeli then-Prime Minister Ehud Barak and Minister of Defense Benjamin ben Elazar, both form Labor Party.
In the meantime, Israeli activists escorting Palestinian farmers going to their land had their route blocked by Israeli soldiers, Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported.
The farmers were granted permits to enter their land for the first time since 10 years. However, the only way to access the land was through Ofra illegal settlement, as all other entrances to the land are fenced off by settlers.
The farmers were planning to asses the damage occurred to their lands during the past ten years.
In other news, Israeli jets bombed targets in Gaza last night after a homemade shell landed in an open area in Southern Israel and injured one woman, later Monday.
Israeli Air Force hit targets in Northern Gaza as well as a tunnel linking Egypt and Gaza in the southern part of the coastal region. The woman was slightly injured by shrapnel from the shell in the Southern Israeli community of Hof Ashkelon.
Two weeks ago, three homemade shells were launched from Gaza into Israel, all landing in open areas, injuring none. The Israeli Army retaliated with air strikes that wounded seven Palestinians.
On internal Palestinian news, Fatah and Hamas are to meet Sunday in to finalize the reconciliation agreement, Hamas source said Tuesday.
Both Hamas and Fatah delegations are expected to meet in Cairo on Sunday to follow up on the implementation of the reconciliation agreement. A Palestinian unity government is yet to be formed amidst disagreement on the post of the Prime Minister.
That’s all for today, you have been listening to Palestine Today from the International Middle East Media Center. For more updates, please visit our website at www.imemc.org. This report has been brought to you from Occupied Bethlehem by Husam Qassis and me George Rishmawi
