Welcome to Palestine Today, a service of the International Middle East Media Center, www.imemc.org, for Wednesday, December, 28, 2016.
Thousands of Palestinians suffer as Israeli implement new siege on West Bank communities, meanwhile settlers invade Al Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem. These stories, and more, coming up, stay tuned.
On Wednesday, Israeli soldiers closed the road that connects Jalazonerefugee camp to the city of Ramallah and al-Bireh. A barrier was put in place next to the nearby settlement of Beit El. Residents of Jalazonecamp as well as those living in nearby villages must use alternative routes via Bir Zeit – a much longer journey into the city.
Earlier in the week, soldiers closed on Monday another iron gate, isolating Bani Zaid al-Gharbiyya from Ramallah. Entryways to Deir Nzam village, northwest of Ramallah, were closed with military barriers. Locals must walk on foot to get into the village. Israeli soldiers at a checkpoint, along the main road, routinely stop passersby and check ID cards.
The Israeli occupation also closed Nabi Saleh village, north of Ramallah. Two weeks ago, a military checkpoint was erected at its main entrance. For two weeks, the villages of Ras Karkar and Deir Bze’a have been suffering from the closure of their main street too. Israeli soldiers are stationed near a military checkpoint in the al-Enab area. They closed an iron gate to block the road. More than fifty thousand Palestinians are suffering due to those closers according local human rights groups.
In other news, Israel’s Jerusalem municipality has reportedly cancelled plans to vote on approving the construction of new Israeli settlement units, in occupied East Jerusalem, that were initially put forward to defy a new United Nations Security Council resolution, which has reaffirmed that Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory are illegal under international law.
According to a report from Reuters, the decision to cancel the vote came to avoid further strain on diplomatic relations with the US, who allowed the resolution to pass with an abstention.
Staying in Jerusalem, Groups of extremist Israeli settlers stormed, early on Wednesday, Al-Aqsa Mosque courtyards from Al-Magariba gate. Jerusalemite sources reported that 176 Israeli settlers stormed the compound, accompanied by tight protection of Israeli police. Palestinian worshippers and students confronted the provocative tours with the chanting of protest slogans.
And that’s all for today from the IMEMC News; this was the Wednesday, December, 28, 2016, news round-up from the Occupied Palestinian Territories. From more news and updates, please visit our website at www.imemc.org Today’s report has been brought to you by George Rishmawi and me Ghassan Bannoura.
