Click on Link to download or play MP3 file || 4 m 00s || 3.66 MB ||
Welcome to Palestine Today, a service of the International Middle East Media Center, www.imemc.org, for Wednesday September 1st, 2010.
Israeli troops abducted two Palestinian brothers and settlers attack another house in the West Bank city of Hebron, these stories and more are coming up, stay tuned.
Israeli troops broke into the home of Al-Tamimi family searched it and abducted two brothers, on Wednesday morning. The two were identified as Bilal and Mu’ath Tamimi and their house is adjacent to the Israeli settlement of Kiryat Arba,
Meanwhile, dozens of Israeli settlers threw stones and empty bottles at the house of Younis Idrees also close to Kiryat Arba. Idrees told media that at least fifty settlers took part in this assault, adding that the Israeli police arrived after the assailant settlers put the garden on fire.
Idrees also said that the police prevented the settlers from putting all the house on fire as they were trying to throw cooking gas jars inside the house, which would have killed all those inside the house. The settlers left behind a serious damage to the property and the furniture of the house.
The settlers’ attacks come shortly after unknown gunmen opened fire at Israeli settlers near Hebron on Tuesday evening killing four of them.
In other news, Palestinian security forces spotted a group of settlers gathering in the evacuated settlement of Homesh near Jenin on Wednesday morning.
According to the source, the settlers are accompanied by number of Israeli soldiers. The settlement of Homesh was evacuated in 2005 as part of the unilateral disengagement plan during which Israel withdrew all Israeli settlers and army from the Gaza Strip and evacuated four small settlements in the West Bank.
The settlers and the military constantly come to the area although all structures were demolished during the evacuation.
Today’s gathering is believed to be related to the attack against the settlers near Hebron on Tuesday and with the statements made by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu following the attack in which he said that no settlement freeze will be declared in the West Bank.
The Palestinian Authority security forces arrested on Wednesday at least 300 members of the rival Hamas party, after the latter’s armed wing claimed responsibility for the killing of four Israeli settlers Tuesday night in Hebron.
Local sources report that the Palestinian security forces entered homes and workplaces, arresting anyone they suspected of being connected to the Hamas party. The crackdown on Hamas comes as the Palestinian leadership heads to Washington for face-to-face negotiations with Israel, during which they must prove that they have full control over the West Bank.
The resumption of direct talks in Washington comes after a freeze of 20 months due to Israel lack of compliance with the signed agreements with the Palestinian Authority especially the freeze of settlement activities in the West Bank which is changing facts on the ground and will have a great impact on the results of final status negotiations.
Thank you for joining us from occupied Bethlehem, you have been listening to Palestine Today from the International Middle East Media Center. For constant updates, please visit our website at www.imemc.org. Today’s report has been brought to you by Hussam Qassis and George Rishmawi.
