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Welcome to Palestine Today, a service of the International Middle East Media Center, www.imemc.org for Wednesday April 25th, 2012.
The Israeli government legalises three unauthorised outposts, meanwhile the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees builds 223 new homes in a Gaza refugee camp these stories and more coming up, so stay tuned.
Amidst Israeli plans to “legalize” unauthorised settlement outposts in order to build new settlements and expand existing ones, Palestinian Presidency spokesperson, Nabil Abu Rodeina, demanded the Israeli government halts all unilateral moves in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, including in Israeli controlled East Jerusalem
His statements came in response to an Israeli decision to legalize three settlement outposts of Bruchin, Sansana and Rechelim; they were built on Palestinian lands without approval from Israel.
Abu Rodeina stated that the decision is a negative move that would only lead to further complications in the efforts to resume peace talks.
The United States said that it opposes the move, and asked for clarification from Israel through the American embassy in the country. U.S. State Department spokeswoman, Victoria Inland, stated that the White House is “concerned”, describing the Israeli move as “counterproductive” to the efforts to resume direct peace talks.
Meanwhile in Gaza, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees has built 223 homes in the Khan Younis refugee camp in the southern part of the Gaza Strip, providing shelter for 1,300 refugees who lost their homes during Israeli offensives against the coastal region.
The project was conducted by the UNRWA with the generous support of the Netherlands who donated $7.2 Million.
The Dutch Representative to the Palestinian Authority stated that her country is calling on the Israeli government to provide the UNRWA with additional funding so that it can continue the remaining residential constructions as soon as possible, the Ma’an News Agency reported.
The UNRWA intends to build 521 additional houses in the Gaza Strip in addition to paving roads, improving water infrastructure, and rebuilding dozens of structures destroyed by Israeli missiles and shells during the 2008-2009 three-week war.
In an illegal attempt to force an end to her hunger-strike, the Israeli Prison Administration has placed 37 year old detainee Lina al-Jarbouni into solitary confinement at the Ramla Israeli prison.
Al-Jarbouni’s hunger-strike began on Tuesday, joining other Palestinian detainees also on hunger strike to demand their basic human rights and an end to the illegal detention of Palestinians without charge. Her decision to commence her hunger strike made her subject to constant harassment and abuses by her Israeli jailers in an attempt to force her break her strike.
Finally, following last week’s eviction of the Palestinian Natsha family from their Beit Hanina home, Israeli Knesset members Michael Ben-Ari and Aryeh Eldad visited the house now inhabited by some eight settlers.
To mark the occasion they posted a picture of themselves on Facebook lounging on the Natsha’s sofa, which has remained outside the house since last week’s eviction.
Settlers have been trying to confiscate the Natsha family’s property since 2004, and were finally successful last week following an Israeli court ruling.
Ben-Ari and Eldad are both members of the right-wing National Union party. Previously, Ben-Ari was a member of the now illegal Kach party.
And that’s all for today from IMEMC News. This was the Wednesday April 25th daily roundup of news from the Occupied Palestinian Territories. For more news and updates please visit our website at www.imemc.org. Today’s report has been brought to you by Husam Qassis and me Sarah Steele.
