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Welcome to Palestine Today, a service of the International Middle East Media Center, www.imemc.org, for Monday, November 25, 2013.
Israeli troops kidnap 12 civilian during morning invasions targeting West Bank communities. These stories, and more, coming up, stay tuned.
On Monday at dawn, Israeli soldiers invaded dozens of communities in different parts of the occupied West Bank, broke into and violently searched homes, and kidnapped at least 12 Palestinians.
Local sources reported that Israeli army invasions targeted the southern West Bank city of Hebron and nearby village, and kidnapped five residents among them two children. In the nearby Bethlehem city soldiers searched and ransacked homes on Monday and kidnapped four civilians.
Three more civilians were kidnapped during an Israeli army invasion targeting the northern West Bank city of Jenin. Soldiers fired several concussion grenades, flares, gas bombs and rubber-coated metal bullets during clashes with local youths who hurled stones at them during the invasion.
In other news, the Israeli government of Benjamin Netanyahu has decided to build, and legalize, more than 800 units in illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank. The decision came just a few days after the Netanyahu government decided to halt the planning of 20.000 units in Jewish settlements in the West Bank, and occupied Jerusalem, in the current phase.
The Higher Planning Council of the Civil Administration Unit, run by the army in the occupied territories, has decided to build 365 units in the Noveh Farat illegal outpost, in the Gush Etzion settlement bloc, despite the fact that the outpost is illegal under Israeli law, and was repeatedly evicted. All Israeli settlements in the west Bank and East Jerusalem are illegal under international law. Israel decided to legalize the outpost, and expand it to turn it into a settlement enjoying all services.
The Netanyahu government further decided to build 30 units in Shilo settlement, and legalized 19 units in the Givat Salit settlement in the Jordan Valley, in addition to approving the construction of 94 units on 168 Dunams (23.22 Acres) of land. Additional 409 units were approved in Givat Zeev settlement, northwest of Jerusalem, and additional 12 illegal units were “legalized” in Nokadim settlement where Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman lives.
Palestinian Presidency Spokesperson, Nabil Abu Rodeina, said that the decision to construct additional 800 units in occupied Palestine proves Israel is interested in escalation, and is preventing direct peace talks from achieving any positive development.
Internally, Palestinian sources have reported that Palestinian security men and gunmen exchanged fire in the Balata refugee camp, east of the northern West Bank city of Nablus. The sources said that the security forces went into the camp, and fired gas bombs at dozens of local youths who burnt tires and tried to prevent them from advancing. Eyewitnesses stated that both sides fired dozens of rounds of live ammunition; no casualties have been reported.
And that’s all for today from the IMEMC News; this was the Monday, November 25, 2013 news round-up from the Occupied Palestinian Territories. For more news and updates please visit our website atwww.imemc.org. Today’s report has been brought to you by George Rishmawi and me, Ghassan Bannoura.
