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Welcome to Palestine Today, a service of the International Middle East Media Center, www.imemc.org, for Monday May 26th, 2014.
Israeli settlers attack farms in northern West Bank meanwhile the Israeli government approve more homes for settlers. These stories, and more, coming up, stay tuned.
A number of Israeli settlers raided Joseph’s Tomb, in the West Bank city of Nablus, on Monday morning. Eyewitnesses said that the settlers raided the place, under guard of Israeli troops who fired rubber bullets, tear gas and sound bombs at Palestinian youth, who answered by throwing rocks. No injuries have been reported.
Almost every week settlers break into Joseph’s Tomb to perform Talmudic rituals, under the claim that it belongs to the biblical Joseph, while historical novels stress that the tomb belongs to one Sheikh Yusef Dweikat, a local religious figure.
Also in the Nablus region, on Monday, Israeli settlers uprooted dozens of olive trees in the northern West Bank, according to a Palestinian official.
local sources told local media that settlers from the settlement of Eli destroyed 30 olive trees in the village of Qaryut south of Nablus.
The area around the villages south of Nablus is a frequent site of settler violence and Palestinian clashes with Israeli forces.
In other news His holiness Pope Francis met on Monday the Grand Mufti of Occupied Jerusalem and the Holy Land, Sheikh Mohammad Hussein, and various Jerusalemite Islamic and Christian leaders.
His holiness arrived in Bethlehem city on Sunday were he was welcomed by Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas and conducted a mass at the church on nativity then met with Christian and Muslim Palestinian families before leaving to Jerusalem.
Even before the Pope concluded his visit to the Holy Land, calling for peace and justice, the Israeli Construction and Planning Committee of the Jerusalem City Council approved the construction of 50 new units in the Jabal Abu Ghneim (Har Homa) illegal settlement, near occupied Jerusalem.
Also on Monday, the Palestinian Minister of Political Detainees held by Israel, Issa Qaraqe’, stated that scores of hunger striking detainees, held by Israel, have been moved to a number of hospitals and clinics, due to serious health complications. More than 200 detainees started their strike on April 24, while Israel is ongoing with its escalation, and is not willing to discuss their legitimate demands. Hundreds of detainees joined their strike later on.
And that’s all for today from the IMEMC News; this was the Monday May 26th, 2014 news round-up from the Occupied Palestinian Territories. For more news and updates please visit our websiteatwww.imemc.org. Today’s report has been brought to you by George Rishmawi and me Ghassan Bannoura.
