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Welcome to Palestine Today, a service of the International Middle East Media Center, www.imemc.org, for Monday August 13th, 2012.
Israeli to construct 12 towers in an East Jerusalem settlement, meanwhile Palestinians killed in 1991 buried today in the West Bank, these stories and more, coming up, stay tuned
Israeli Authorities approved the construction of 12 towers in the Har Homa settlement built on Abu Ghneim hill at the southern side of Jerusalem.
The new towers will include 24 – 33 stories with an area the mounts up to one million square meters. The Israeli news website “News 1” reported Monday that some of the towers will be used for tourism and commercial purposes. In addition some space will be designated to new offices for the Municipality of Jerusalem. According to the source, the new project will provide some 40 thousand jobs.
The entire settlement of Har Homa poses a serious threat to Bethlehem and Jerusalem, on both economic and demographic levels.
In other news, the Regional Electricity Company has started procedures to seize the property of the Jerusalem District Electricity Company (JDEC) which provides electricity to the Jerusalem District that includes, East Jerusalem, Ramallah, Jericho, and Bethlehem areas.
Official at the JDEC said the company has 100 million dollar debts to the Israeli company. Most of the debts results from unpaid usage of electricity by the Palestinian refugees since the refugees are among the poorest sectors of the Palestinians who are under the supervision of the United Nations Relief and Work Agency (UNRWA).
The director of the company demanded the Palestinian Authority to intervene to help solve this problem. At least one million Palestinians will be directly affected with this procedure.
Two Palestinians, one Muslim and one Christian, who were killed by the Israeli army on November 11, 1991, and whose bodies were held at the “ Cemetery of Numbers” will were buried today after Israel agreed to release their remains.
The two, Ramzi Shahin and Anis Mousa, topped Israel’s “Wanted List” from the beginning of the first Palestinian Intifada in 1987, for their activities in the popular uprising in Palestine.
They managed to leave Palestine through Sinai to receive military training at an undisclosed location, and on their way back to the country, they were killed in armed confrontations with Israeli occupation soldiers in the Negev desert.
Earlier in June, Palestinians held an official ceremony for prayers and burial of 91 Palestinians, killed by Israel many years ago, and buried in the “Cemetery of Numbers”.
And that’s all for today from IMEMC News; this was the Monday August 13th daily news round-up from the Occupied Palestinian Territories. For more news and updates please visit our website at www.imemc.org. Today’s report has been brought to you by Husam Qassis and me, George Rishmawi