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Welcome to Palestine Today, a service of the International Middle East Media Center www.imemc.org, for Wednesday April 27, 2011.
Palestinians reach a reconciliation agreement in Egypt and Israeli military invades Palestinian areas, in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, these stories and more are coming up, stay tuned.
Hamas and Fatah sign a reconciliation draft agreement in Cairo Egypt Wednesday evening following rounds of talks, with hope to end a four-year internal unrest in the Palestinian Territories, Palestinian media sources reported.
Both parties agreed, under Egyptian supervision, to form a transitional government soon. The two delegations, headed by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, head of the Fatah movement and Khaled Mashaal, Hamas’ politburo chief, discussed the security issue and ways to coordinate the two security forces that Hamas and Fatah control. They have set a date for general elections to take place, however, it is not disclosed yet.
A Hamas official reported that all points of differences with Fatah have been overcome. During the past month, Palestinian youth protested in a number of West Bank and Gaza areas calling for ending division.
On the ground, a large force of Israeli military invaded the northern West Bank city of Tulkarem Wednesday morning. A Palestinian source said, a number of military vehicles entered the city and opened fire in the air in the early hours of the morning, causing panic among the residents.
It is believed that this incursion came after a Palestinian security officer shot a single bullet as an Israeli military vehicle was passing near Tulkarem Tuesday night. However, a Palestinian security chief says the bullet was fired by mistake and no injuries were reported.
The Palestinian town of Beit Ummar, in the southern West Bank, was flooded with sewage from a nearby settlement on Tuesday, according to local eyewitnesses and officials. Locals say that there is evidence the sewage was dumped on purpose by Israeli settlers.
One local farmer said that he was farming his field near Kfar Etzion settlement on Monday night, and there was no contamination when he left his field to go home for the night. But sometime during the night, a sewage pipe from Kfar Etzion settlement was opened, flooding the lands of a number of Beit Ummar farmers and destroying their crops.
Ibrahim Sabarneh, whose land was flooded, said this flooding happens frequently in other farmlands, however, this is the second flooding that damages his land during the past twelve months.
A number of Israeli armoured vehicles carried out a limited invasion into an area, east of Khan Younis, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip on Wednesday morning. Soldiers fired rounds of live ammunition into several directions; damage was reported but no injuries.
Conclusion:
That sums up our news for today, thank you for joining us from occupied Bethlehem. You have been listening to Palestine Today from the 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 me George Rishmawi.
