Click on Link to download or play MP3 file || 3.66MB || Time 4m 0sWelcome to Palestine Today, a service of the International Middle East Media Centre, www.imemc.org, for Thursday April 19th, 2007.
The second two-day International conference on nonviolent popular resistance concludes in the village of Bil’in. The Israeli army continues to abduct civilians in the West Bank. These stories and more coming up, stay tuned.
The West Bank update
The second two-day International conference on nonviolent popular resistance held in the village of Bil’in, northwest of the Palestinian city of Ramallah has ended today. 60% of Bil’in’s land has already been annexed for illegal Israeli settlements and the construction of Israel’s illegal separation wall. Around 400 people attended the international conference which hopes to create a network to improve coordination, share resources, support the work of others for justice, and create joint campaigns to stop the illegal Wall and end the Israeli occupation.
On Thursday midday the Israeli army invaded the villages of Qawis and Towani south of the city of Hebron in the southern part of the West Bank, uprooted trees and demolished houses.
In Qawis village the Israeli army troops, along with several bulldozers, stormed the village and demolished six farmers’ homes and one animal shed. Soldiers even handed out a demolition order to families that are still living in tents since their homes were demolished several months ago by the Israeli army.
The army demolished homes in this village last February, but with the help of international and Israeli human rights organizations the homes were rebuilt. However, the Israeli army came today and demolished them again, sources in the village told IMEMC.
Another Israeli force with one bulldozer destroyed a well and uprooted at least 50 trees that belong to Palestinian farmers in the village of Towani, also located south of Hebron city. Israeli human rights activists who arrived shortly after the army attack told IMEMC that the soldiers not only uprooted olive trees which are 10 years old, but also took the trees with them when they left.
24 Palestinian civilians were abducted by the Israeli army in pre-dawn invasions of several West Bank cities on Thursday. The Israeli military claimed that those abducted are what the army calls Wanted Palestinians; in the meantime Palestinian sources reported that those abducted are civilians.
Among those abducted was Samih Subeh, the deputy Mayor of Taqua village near the southern West Bank city of Bethlehem. The Mayor of Taqua village, Khaled Hamida, was abducted by the Israeli army several months ago.
The Gaza Update
Palestinian media sources said Thursday that late last night unknown gunmen blew up a hair salon in the city of Beit Hanoun, in the northern Gaza Strip.
Witnesses said that unknown gunmen placed an explosive device at the shop’s front door and detonated it from a distance. The explosion at the shop caused damage to nearby stores, but no injuries were reported. The Gaza Strip has recently seen a series of explosions in shops and cafes, at a time when the Palestinian interior minister has launched a security plan in order to contain internal unrest throughout the coastal region.
Conclusion
Thank you for joining us from occupied Bethlehem. You have been listening to Palestine Today from the International Middle East Media Center, www.imemc.org, brought to you by Polly Bangoriad and Ghassan Bannoura.
