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Welcome to Palestine Today, a service of the International Middle East Media Center, www.imemc.org, for Wednesday March 6th, 2013.

Israeli troops escalate their arrests of Palestinians in the West Bank, and Israeli settlers storm Al Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem under the protection of the Israeli police. These stories, and more, coming up, stay tuned.

One man was injured, on Wednesday midday, when Israeli setters clashed with Palestinian worshipers inside Al Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem old city. Naser Milhis, 48 years old, was assaulted by Israeli police when he and others tried to stop Israeli settlers from entering the third holiest site for Muslim world wide.

According to local sources Israeli police forces accompanied the settlers then walked them out after clashing with Palestinians inside the Al Aqsa mosque. Jewish right wing groups say Al Aqsa mosque is built on top of Suleiman temple and want to destroy it to erect the temple once more.

Also on Wednesday before noon, clashes erupted near the town of Beit Jala, in southern West Bank, when Israeli troops attacked a protest organized by local youth in solidarity with hunger striking Palestinian political detainees held by Israel.

Residents march up to the military base near the entrance of the city before soldiers fired tear gas and rubber coated steel bullets at them. The protesters managed to raise the Palestinian flag on the military base gate. Medical sources said that many protesters were treated for the effects of tear gas inhalation.

Earlier on Wednesday at dawn, Israeli soldiers invaded several Palestinian communities in the occupied West Bank, and kidnapped 19 Palestinians, including children, after breaking into their homes and searching them.

Local sources reported invasions and arrested in the southern West Bank cities of Bethlehem and Hebron as well as Nablus in the north of the West Bank.
The invasions and arrests are part of an escalating Israeli military campaign that led to the kidnapping of dozens of Palestinians over the last few days.

On Monday, the army also kidnapped more than 19 Palestinians, including several children, in different parts of the occupied West Bank. and on Tuesday six Palestinians were arrested during predawn invasions targeting West Bank communities.

And that’s all for today from the IMEMC News; this was the Wednesday March 6th, news round-up 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 Hussam Qassis and me, Ghassan Bannoura.