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Welcome to Palestine Today, a service of the International Middle East Media Center, www.imemc.org, for Tuesday August 21, 2012.
Palestinian hurt by firebomb in serious condition, meanwhile Israel demands Egypt to withdraw tanks from Sinai, these stories and more, coming up, stay tuned.
Ayman Hasan Ghayatha, 36, who was wounded along with his family by a firebomb hurled by extremist Israeli settlers at a Palestinian taxi near Bethlehem on Thursday, is now in a serious condition at the Hadassah Israeli hospital in Jerusalem.
Resident Ribhi Ghayatha aid that Ayman was directly hit by the firebomb in his abdomen leading to serious injuries and he is currently at the Intensive Care Unit in Hadassah Hospital in Jerusalem.
Ribhi added that the rest of the family members, are still in an unstable condition and their health is gradually deteriorating due to severe injuries and fourth degree burns, the worst degree of burns as the flesh is burnt to the bone.
The settlers who hurled the firebomb apparently mixed it with chemicals to inflict maximum harm, medical sources reported.
Jamila Ghayatha, the wife of Ayman, is currently facing several health complications. The Taxi driver, Bassam Mahmoud Ghayatha, is also in a serious condition.
On Monday, Israel arrested five Israeli teenage settlers who participated in a lynch mob attack against a 17-year-old Palestinian youth, in Jerusalem on Friday, causing serious injuries that landed him at the Intensive Care Unit.
The Israeli Police said more youth will be arrested if needed as the investigation continues.
Screaming ‘Death to Arabs’, the settlers attacked three young Palestinians, nearly killing one and severely wounding the other two.
Palestinian media sources reported that resident Jamal Julani was left fighting for his life after being attacked in “Zion Square” in Jerusalem. He was surrounded by approximately a dozen young settlers who kept beating and kicking him even after he fell unconscious.
In other news, Egyptian security sources reported that the military forces are preparing to use its Air Force and Tanks to counter armed groups and arms smugglers operating in the Sinai Peninsula.
This will be the first time Egypt would deploy tanks and the Air Force in Sinai, since the 1973 war with Israel.
Reuters reported that the new Egyptian Defense Minister, Abdul-Fattah As-Seesy, is conducting the final touches to the military plan.
The Minister first visited Sinai after armed extremists attacked an Egyptian military base on August 5th, killing 16 Egyptian Border Guards; several soldiers were wounded in the attack.
On their part, the Israeli government demanded Egypt to withdraw its tanks from the Sinai Peninsula after Cairo deployed them to counter extremist groups operating in the area.
Israeli newspaper Maariv said that the office of Israel’s Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, sent a letter to the Egyptian leadership through the White House, asking Cairo to remove its tanks.
Israel said that deploying further Egyptian soldiers in Sinai without prior coordination, is considered a serious violation to the Camp David peace agreement of 1978 signed between the two countries under US supervision.
By this we come to the end of the news for today, This was the Tuesday August 21, 2012 round up 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, Anne Shirley
