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Welcome to Palestine Today, a service of the International Middle East Media Center, www.imemc.org for Wednesday July 10, 2013.
Israel is planning new illegal settlement activity, in the meantime settlers assaults in Hebron continue, and a Gaza flotilla planning to leave the Gaza Strip despite the blockade, These stories and more, coming up, stay tuned.
Canadian, European, and Palestinian activists are planning to launch a flotilla from Gaza that would carry local produce and textiles to Europe, in defiance of the Israeli-imposed naval blockade. The flotilla, called “Gaza’s Ark”, will consist of converted fishing vessel.
Israel instituted the blockade of the Gaza Strip in 2006. This has severely harmed Gaza’s economy, increasing poverty and unemployment, and has had a devastating impact on the healthcare system.
Israel announced the illegal construction of 500 units for settlers in the West Bank, a move that has been strongly denounced by Dr. Hanna Issa, an expert in international law. Dr. Issa says that this new settlement activity is another Israeli violation of international law, and an attempt to foil direct peace talks.
He added that continued settlement activity in occupied Palestine violates Israel’s various international obligations, such as the Road Map peace plan, the Geneva Convention, and the Geneva Protocols. Also, in 2004, the International Court of Justice ruled that Israel’s settlement activity in the West Bank is illegal. Dr. Issa described how the illegal settlements deprive Palestinians of opportunities, and how they jeopardise the establishment of a viable and independent Palestinian State.
Furthermore, Israel’s illegal settlement activity and its actions concerning Palestinian resources and human rights violate all related United Nations resolutions.
In Ar-Rakheem valley, southern West Bank, a number of bulldozers belonging to Israeli settlers approached the land belonging to local Al-Halees family. Local sources say that the bulldozers ravaged the land by digging up large amounts of sand to transport it to the nearby illegal settlement of Susiyya.
In other news, a Palestinian medical source in Al-Jneid neighbourhood, north of Nablus, reported that five people were injured and one kidnapped during a night-time invasion by Israeli soldiers. The soldiers fired rubber-coated-bullets, tear gas and concussion grenades into the dormitories of Al-Najah National University in the city, injuring five students. The soldiers kidnapped student Mahmoud Abdul-Halim At-Talahma before they exited the building.
Reports said that the Israeli soldiers also fired gas bombs at a female dormitory belonging to the local college of the neighbouring Rafidia area. The bomb caused a fire, with one student receiving treatment for smoke inhalation. The Military vehicles drove around An-Najah University in Rafidia and the neighbourhood before leaving.
And that’s all for today from the IMEMC News; this was the Wednesday July 10th, 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, Shamus Slaunwhite and me Ida Vanhainen.
