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Welcome to Palestine Today, a service of the International Middle East Media Center, www.imemc.org, for Thursday August 23, 2012.
Israeli settlers attempt to plant Palestinian land near Bethlehem, meanwhile Egyptians and Israelis reach understandings over Egypt’s military presence in Sinai , these stories and more coming up, stay tuned.
A group of Israeli settlers planted, on Thursday morning, Palestinian land that they illegally took over three months ago, near Al-Khader town, in the Bethlehem district.
Coordinator of the Popular Committee Against the Wall in Al-Khader, Ahmad Salah, told the IMEMC that the settlers were seen planting 5 Dunams of farmland that they illegally occupied three months ago.
After noticing Salah and members of the Committee who were touring the area, the settlers fleet the scene away, but returned later on in a larger group accompanied by dogs, and forced them away.
Salah added that the land belongs to resident Suleiman Hammad Salah, and is located in Ein Al-Qassis area, west of Al-Khader.
Few days ago, Israeli settlers setup a chicken cage with 5 chickens inside claiming that they are building a chicken farm, an act that was described by Salah as a new way of expropriating privately-owned Palestinian land by Israeli settlers.
Also in the West Bank, undercover forces of the Israeli army kidnapped, on Thursday at dawn, a young Palestinian man in Borqeen town, west of the northern West Bank city of Jenin.
Local sources reported that the undercover forces infiltrated into the town driving a car that carries Palestinian license plates, and kidnapped Tareq Abu Shadouf, 22, after breaking into his family’s home and violently searching it.
In other news, an Egyptian security source said Thursday that the ongoing negotiations between Israel and Egypt led to an understanding regarding the deployment of Egyptian soldiers in the Sinai Peninsula.
The talks are being held at the Karem Abu Salem border crossing east of Gaza Strip. Several Israeli officials recently objected the deployment of more Egyptian soldiers in Sinai as such deployment violates the Camp David Peace Agreement between the two countries.
But a number of Israeli officials said that all movements and deployment of Egyptian forces in Sinai, to counter armed groups, were coordinated with Tel Aviv.
The source told media that Egyptian and Israeli security officials held more than six meetings over the period of three consecutive days.
The source further said that Israel have concerns regarding the increase of terrorist activities in Sinai, and that Israeli officials viewed concerns regarding the deployment of more Egyptian soldiers and heavy artillery in Sinai.
By this we come to the end of the news for today, This was the Thursday August 23 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, George Rishmawi.
