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Welcome to Palestine Today, a service of the International Middle East Media Centre, www.imemc.org, for Monday, December 14th, 2009
Israeli military kidnap three Palestinians from the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, while an internal conciliation agreement between Palestinian factions seems to be near, these stories and more coming up, stay tuned.
The News Cast
Israeli forces kidnapped a Palestinian man from his house in Bethlehem on Monday morning. Palestinian media sources reported that Israeli troops invaded the area in the early hours of the morning and broke into the house of Mike Canawati, 36 and kidnapped him. Witnesses reported that troops ransacked the house then blind folded Canawati and handcuffed him before taking him to an undisclosed destination.
Meanwhile in the Gaza Strip, Israeli soldiers invaded the Industrial Area located near the Erez Crossing, west of Beit Hanoun in the northern part of the Gaza Strip and kidnapped two young men, local sources reported.
According to the source, Israeli troops advanced approximately 350 meters into northern Gaza while Palestinian workers were trying to remove the rubble at the industrial area that was shelled by the Israeli military during the war on Gaza last January.
Troops then kidnapped Mahmoud Al Yaziji, 16, and Mohammad Al Kafarna, 17. Al Kafarna was released several hours later, while Al Yaziji remained in detention, for interrogation according to Al-Mezan centre in Gaza.
In other news, Israeli former Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni on Monday canceled her participation in a Jewish function in the UK, after a warrant for her arrest was issued over involvement in last winter’s war on Gaza, Arab Media sources reported.
Al-Quds al-Arabi, reported that Livni’s office dismissed reports that the former foreign minister cancelled the trip because of this claimed warrant. The source added that Livni spoke to the conference through the video conferencing technology as planned.
Some Palestinian solidarity groups in the UK have been following up on the war on Gaza and filed lawsuit against Israeli leaders accusing them of war crimes, which would subject any Israeli senior official for arrest in certain European countries.
In the meantime, Palestinian media sources reported that a conciliation agreement may have been reached between the rival Hamas and Fatah parties, yet this agreement remains undisclosed.
The agreement, according to the source includes arrangements for extending the term of the Palestinian president and the Legislative Council for a period of time, during which Palestinian factions should reach an understanding over new elections.
President Mahmoud Abbas’ term will end by January 25, 2010 which will cause a constitutional void since the Palestinian central election committee declared last month that it is not yet ready to hold elections in January.
Thank you for Joining from occupied Bethlehem, you have been listening to Palestine today from the International Middle East Media Center, www.imemc.org, this report has been brought to you by, George Rishmawi.
