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Welcome to Palestine Today a service of the International Middle East Media Centre www.imemc.org, for Tuesday June 14th, 2011
Dr. Atef Al Kahloot, head of the Medical Services in the Gaza Strip, reported Monday that all surgeries in hospitals across the coastal region have been put on hold until further notice as they ran out of anaesthesia medications and supplies.
Al Kahloot stated that all hospitals and medical centers in the Gaza Strip will be totally out of all supplies related to anaesthesia within 48 hours. Al Kahloot added that there are 180 types of medications that have run out of in addition to 200 types of medical supplies.
Lebanese Prime Minister, Najib Mikati, has appointed a new 30 cabinet member Lebanese government. The new government is dominated by Hezbollah allies who hold 18 of the 30 cabinet positions.
The Israeli army abducted a 17-year-old boy from a village near Bethlehem, according to locals. Another was arrested near Nablus. An Israeli army spokesperson claimed that the two were arrested overnight and detained because they were ‘wanted for terrorist activity’. The army further claims that they have been ‘transferred for security questioning’. No more details have been given as to the whereabouts of the youths or their alleged activities.
The families of Mahmoud Sabateen and Usama Shusha claim that soldiers forcibly entered their homes at around 2am and forced residents outside whilst searches were carried out. The Israeli military also entered the village of Anata at 1:30am and handed out summons to several villagers.
The Ma’an News Agency reports that Israel demolished 5 wells in Hebron on Tuesday morning. According to Ma’an, the wells belonged to the al-Jamal family and were located in the south of the city. Soldiers from the Israeli ‘Civil Administration’ arrived on the property early in the morning and assaulted members of the family who tried to stop the demolition going ahead. Tear gas was deployed to force family members from the area.
The five wells were destroyed and filled in, rendering them unusable. The Israeli forces claim that they were ‘constructed without a license.’ So far no comments have been made by the Civil Administration, although a military spokesperson confirmed that ‘riot dispersal mechanisms’ had been used.
According to residents, ten Bedouin homes were demolished on Tuesday morning in the Jordan valley area, leaving dozens homeless. The small village of Fasayil, north of Jericho was invaded by 2 bulldozers, escorted by 14 military Jeeps at approximately 6am on Tuesday morning. The ten village homes were crushed, burying any possessions inside and electricity meters were confiscated by the army. This will leave the village totally disconnected if they rebuild their homes.
Head of the local village council, Ibrahim Ubayyat, said that the Israeli authorities had prohibited residents from building in the area, but the villagers say that they have no choice since they have nowhere else to go. The Jordan valley is one of the most fertile areas in the West Bank and a major source of agricultural production. The Israeli authorities are effectively cutting Palestinians off from their farmland in this area. Owners of the destroyed homes vowed to continue farming in the area and rebuild their lives.
According to Israeli human rights group, B’Tselem, ‘Israel has instituted a regime that massively exploits the resources of the Jordan Valley and the northern Dead Sea, far more than elsewhere in the West Bank, demonstrating its intention: to de facto annex the area to the state of Israel’.
Thats all for today from the IMEMC. This was the Tuesday 14th of June daily roundup of news from the Occupied Palestinian Territories. We hope you will join us again tomorrow. This was brought to you by Husam Qassis and me David Steele.
