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Welcome to Palestine Today, a service of the International Middle East Media Center, www.imemc.org, for Thursday, January 20 2011
Medical sources reported that on Wednesday night dozens of Palestinian residents were injured in clashes with Israeli border police in Silwan, Ras Al Amoud, and the Shu’fat Refugee camp in East Jerusalem. The injuries were mostly the result of tear gas inhalation and the firing of rubber-coated steel bullets. One Israeli policeman was reportedly injured.
The Israeli Navy late on Wednesday night kidnapped a Palestinian fishing boat in Palestinian territorial waters, near Khan Younis, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip. Four fishermen were detained. Israel only allows fisherman to fish 3 miles from the coast making it almost impossible for them to make viable catches.
The Israeli Army reported on Wednesday that the soldier who on January 7th repeatedly shot a 65-year-old Palestinian man, while he slept in his bed on, has been exonerated. A second soldier who also shot the dead man was discharged from the IDF without facing any charges. The attack took place in the southern West Bank city of Hebron. The Army said that the unit which carried out the attack intended to arrest five Hamas members who were released from a Palestinian security center the before the incident took place.
Omar Al-Qawasmy, 65, was sleeping in his bed when the soldiers broke into his home on Friday at dawn and opened fire immediately after breaking into the room.
On Thursday at noon Israeli soldiers shot and killed a Palestinian youth at the Dotan military roadblock, near the Mivo Dotan illegal settlement, south of the northern West Bank city of Jenin. The initial report from the IDF said that Salem Omar As-Sammoudi, aged 24, from Yamoun in the Jenin district,
shot at the soldiers who then returned fire and killed him.
The Israeli army issued a report on Thursday claiming that Jawaher Abu Rahmah, who was killed by the army more than two weeks ago during a nonviolent protest against the Wall in Bil’in village, near Ramallah, died because of a previously existing health condition. The report blames Palestinian health workers for mis-diagnosing her condition and administering treatment which caused the fatality.
PNN reports that Israeli soldiers tear-gassed residents of a house in a village near Jenin, on Wednesday evening. It was also reported that soldiers arrested eight young Palestinians including five minors south of Hebron.
On Thursday a group of settlers planted dozens of trees in the evacuated settlement of Homesh, west of Nablus, near the Palestinian village of Burqa.
According to the Jerusalem Post, a source who has been working closely with the Turkel Committee said on Thursday that its members were likely to find Israel innocent of war crimes when they release a report of its conclusions next week. The Turkel Committee was set up by the Israeli Government to investigate the military’s action when it attacked the Gaza-bound aid ship, the Mavi Marmara, in May 2010. During the attack 9 Turkish activists were shot dead by Israeli soldiers.
Jerusalem’s municipality ordered the excavation of around 200 graves in the city’s largest Islamic cemetery. An Israeli court dismissed an application for an injunction.
In an interview with Arab newspaper Asharq al-Awsat on Thursday, Palestinian Authority Foreign Minister Riad Malki condemned the ‘land rush’ and ‘Judaization’ of Jerusalem. Malki told the newspaper that, ‘The occupation’s land rush in Sheikh Jarrah in Jerusalem is in full swing, working for the Judaization of many different neighborhoods of the city,’ he said, naming Sheikh Jarrah, Isawiya and the area near the Damascus Gate.’
On Wednesday Israeli soldiers invaded “Khirbit At Taweel”, a small village near the northern West Bank city of Nablus. They handed the residents military orders to demolish their clay homes. The village is “unrecognized” by the Israeli occupation, and its homes have been demolished six times so far.
The residents fear that the army and the police intend to invade the village to demolish their homes on Thursday.
That sums up our news for today, thank you for joining us from occupied Bethlehem, you have been listening to Palestine Today, from International Middle East Media Center. For more updates, please visit our website at www.imemc.org. This report has been brought to you by Husam Qassis and Colin Bell
