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Welcome to Palestine Today, a service of the International Middle East Media Centre, www.imemc.org, for Thursday, April 1st, 2010.
Israeli military bombards areas in the Gaza Strip and detains civilians from the West Bank. These stories, and more, coming up, stay Tuned.
The News Cast
The Israeli navy opened fire, on Thursday at Palestinian fishermen near Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip and Israeli tanks fired several shells at nearby areas, local sources reported. The sources added that Israeli navy fired at Palestinian fishing boats in Al Sudaniyya and Al Waha areas, west of Beit Lahia causing damage to fishing boats, no injuries were reported.
Furthermore, Israeli tanks fired several shells at farmlands in the northern part of the Gaza Strip, however, no injuries were reported. The shelling came shortly after the military aircrafts dropped leaflets warning of a nearing attack on the besieged coastal enclave. The leaflets did not specify the nature or the timing of the claimed upcoming attack.
In other news five Palestinian civilians were detained on Thursday by Israeli troops during morning invasions targeting several West Bank communities.
Local sources reported invasions and military home search in the cities of Nablus, Hebron and Ramallah. Later in the day a Palestinian shepherd was detained by the military while herding his sheep in the Jordan Valley. Israeli media sources said troops detained the shepherd because he walked close to an Israeli settlement fence. All Israeli settlements in the West Bank are surrounded by fences and the military is heavily present around them.
Also in the West Bank, the Israeli military court of Ofer ordered the release of 9 Palestinian nonviolent activists and a politician who were detained by the Israeli military and police last Sunday.
All ten have to appear in front of a military court on April 18th. The court today released seven after being bailed. The bails ranged between 300 USD to 800 USD, while others had to sing on document that forces them to pay 4,000 USD if they fail to show up at the military court with the others.
The released activists and the politician were detained during a nonviolent protest organized on Palm Sunday at the military checkpoint between Bethlehem and Jerusalem demanding the right of free access to Jerusalem and the freedom of worship in the holy sites.
Palestinians have been denied free access to Jerusalem since 199. Israel allows few thousands only with special permits to enter Jerusalem that are rarely granted.
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.
