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Palestine Today, a service of the International Middle East Media Centre www.imemc.org For Tuesday September 26th, 2006
Palestinian and Israeli officials met on Tuesday in Jerusalem to discuss opening the Rafah border crossing while in the West Bank and for the third consecutive day, Israeli troops continued their military invasion of Nablus where one resident was injured. These stories and more coming up, stay tuned.
The Gaza update
Palestinian and Israeli officials met on Tuesday in Jerusalem to discuss opening the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt. The meeting was attended by high ranking officials on both sides, including Palestinian Chief Negotiator Saeb Erekat, Defense Ministry officials Barch Spiegel and Hagai Alon and U.S. representatives Dick Jones and Keith Dayton.
The Palestinian delegation described the meeting as 'very positive.' They demanded that Israel open the crossing to accommodate the increased traffic due to the Muslim holiday of Ramadan. The Rafah crossing, which has been closed most of the time since the start of the Israeli military offensive Summer Rain two months ago. The crossing was opened on Saturday, which gave passage to some 10,000 Palestinians, then closed it after several hours.
Meanwhile, on the ground, unknown armed men attacked the head of the student union of Al Aqsa University in Khan Younis on Tuesday. Four armed and masked men arrived in a black car and stopped Ala'a Jokhlob near the university located in the south of the Gaza Strip. They severely beat him then left. The man was transported to the hospital with many bruises and broken bones. The reasons for the attack are unknown.
In the Israeli town Sedrot, close to the Gaza Strip, a female Israeli soldier was injured by shrapnel from a homemade shell fired at Sedrot on Tuesday morning. Israeli medical sources said that the woman is in an Israeli hospital in stable condition. The Al Quds Brigades, the armed wing of Islamic Jihad, said that they launched a projectile at the town of Sedrot in response to Israel’s continues attacks on the Palestinian people.
The West Bank Update
For the third consecutive day, Israeli troops continued their military invasion of the Old City of Nablus, in the northern part of the West Bank. They broke into dozens of homes and shot and injured one resident, local sources reported. The resident was identified as Amjad Anabtawi, 22. He was transferred to a local hospital with a bullet wound to the chest.
Anabtawi, who is not affiliated with any resistance group, was injured by Israeli military fire during the ensuing gun-battle between soldiers and resistance fighters in the area.
Also, soldiers deployed in the Al Jabal area, north of the city, after occupying several houses and their rooftops, using them as military posts and sniper towers, local sources reported. Soldiers installed several checkpoints in Al Teety Bridge area, and the neighborhoods of Al Salam, Al Haddadeen, and Yasmeena.
Tuesday at dawn, the Israeli army invaded the village of Kofer Dan, west of Jenin in the northern part of the West Bank, and took prisoner six residents, including four brothers. Several army vehicles invaded the village and fired flares and sound bombs while soldiers conducted a wide scale house-to-house search campaign and ransacked families’ belongings before taking the six to unknown locations.
Monther Hassan, 28, from the West Bank city of Hebron and Sobhi Zma'ra, 16, from the nearby Halhoul village were taken prisoner by the Israeli army on Tuesday morning. Troops stormed, searched and ransacked residents' homes in Hebron city and Halhoul, before taking the two to unknown locations, their families reported.
The sister of Zma'ra said that troops stormed their house in Halhoul 50 days ago and abducted her 19-year old brother who is still being held in detention without charges or trial.
Israeli soldiers chased a group of Palestinian shepherds Tuesday morning east of Tammoun village, near the West Bank city of Tubas. Eyewitnesses reported that troops stormed the shepherds' huts and then chased and attacked them. Soldiers claimed that the area is a closed military zone.
Conclusion
Thank you for joining us from Occupied Bethlehem. You have been listening to Palestine Today from the International Middle East Media Centre, www.imemc.org brought to you by Caysha Cay & Ghassan Bannoura.
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