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Welcome to Palestine Today, a service of the International Middle East Media Center, www.imemc.org for Thursday, July 5th, 2012.
Israeli military to confiscate more Palestinian land for military use, meanwhile, the Gaza Strip continues to suffer power shortages. These stories and more, coming up, stay tuned.
The Israeli army decided to confiscate 2500 square meters of Palestinian lands south of the southern West Bank city of Hebron, in order to build a military base in the area.
Abdul-Hadi Hantash, an expert in maps and settlements, stated that the Central Command of the Israeli army decided to confiscate the privately-owned Palestinian lands close to the Ath- Thaheriya roadblock.
Hantash stated that the army also wants to install a military tower to monitor Palestinian traffic at the ar-Ramadeen and ath-Thaheriyya junctions.
Elsewhere, Palestine News Network reported that settlers from Rotem settlement in the North Jordan Valley seized Palestinian land Wednesday as part of their continued illegal expansion.
The settlers quietly moved during the morning to incorporate new lands into the settlement, including an adjacent hill. The hill was promptly fenced and barricaded from its Palestinian owners. The settlers then set the foundations for future facilities.
In related news, Israeli army colonel Ofir Hindi, head of the administration responsible for construction of the annexation wall, revealed plans to continue construction on the wall in Jerusalem in the upcoming weeks.
Israeli newspaper Yediot Ahranot reported on discussions during an Israeli Supreme Court hearing regarding an appeal Palestinians have submitted to stop construction. Plans include building in Jerusalem city and near Gush Etzion settlement near Bethlehem.
In Gaza news, the Palestinian energy authority has urged citizens to limit their electricity use. The sole power station in Gaza has reduced its production to 30 megawatts in the daytime and 50 megawatts at night. With power usage doubling in the summer months, the plant is only able to meet the needs of half of the population.
The reason for this drastic fuel shortage is the continuing Israeli blockade. Only 100,000 liters of fuel reaches Gaza every day–well short of the 500,000 liters needed by the 1.7 million residents. Last June, the plant was forced to shut completely due to a delay in a shipment of fuel from Qatar.
And that all for today from the IMEMC News; this was the Thursday July 5th daily news roundup 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 Jack Muir.
