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Welcome to Palestine Today, a service of the International Middle East Media Centre, www.imemc.org, for Tuesday, February 23rd, 2010.
Settlers uproot olive trees in the West Bank as clashes erupt between protestors and Israeli police in East Jerusalem. These stories, and more, coming up. Stay tuned.
The News Cast
Palestinian medical sources in Rafah reported, Monday evening, that a Palestinian youth died due to electrocution in a tunnel in Rafah, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip.
He was working inside the tunnel and died instantly after being electrocuted by an exposed wire. Hundreds of residents have been killed and injured in similar tunnel accidents across the border with Egypt.
Elsewhere in Burin village, Southern West Bank, a group of Israeli settlers uprooted, on Tuesday at dawn, 45 olive trees that belong to Palestinian farmers.
Villagers told media that the assailants came from the nearby illegal settlement of Yetshar, originally built on lands taken from the village. The settlers attack took place after Israeli troops invaded Burin and detained 4 villagers.
Across the West Bank, on Tuesday, Israeli troops detained 8 Palestinian civilians during pre-dawn invasions and searches of homes.
Later on Tuesday, clashes erupted between Palestinians and Israeli police in the city of Jerusalem during a police crackdown on protests. Local youths hurled stones at police officers after they attack the protests organized at the old city and neighboring Palestinian neighborhoods, local sources reported.
Residents organized demonstrations at a number of locations in East Jerusalem to protest Israel’s decisions to enlist two holy sites in the West Bank under the so called Jewish Heritage National List.
The Ibrahimi Mosque, in Hebron, also known as the tomb of Patriarchs, as well as Bilal Mosque, in Bethlehem, are believed to be holy sites by Muslims, Jews and Christians.
During a speech made to the Belgian Parliament in Brussels, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas expressed his concern that the listing of these sites may provide the spark to begin a ‘war of religions.’
Meanwhile, Hamas’ Ismail Haniyeh has stated that these actions are an extension of Israel’s policy of annexing Palestinian land, and called for Palestinians in the West Bank to begin a 3rd intifada.
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. This report has been brought to you, by Ghassan Bannoura.
