Welcome to Palestine Today, a service of the International Middle East Media Center, www.imemc.org, for Wednesday, January, 18, 2017.
One Palestinian, and an Israeli police officer killed in the Negev meanwhile seven Palestinians injured during army invasions targeting West Bank communities. These stories, and more, coming up, stay tuned.
Dozens of Israeli soldiers and officers, accompanied by several armored vehicles and bulldozers, invaded Umm al-Hiran village, in the Negev, and started demolishing homes and structures, before the police killed one Palestinian allegedly after ramming his car into officers, killing one. Many were injured, including Arab Members of Knesset.
The Israeli Police said the officer has been identified as Erez Levy, 37, and that he was reportedly struck by a car, driven by Yacoub Mousa Abu al-Qee’an, 47, before the soldiers shot the man and killed him.
Locals at the scene denied the Israeli allegation, and said Abu al-Qee’an, a known mathematics teacher, did not intentionally struck the officer with his car, and that he just lost control of his vehicle after the police fired at it. The incident took place following clashes in the village, after the soldiers and officers started demolishing homes and structures, under the allegation of being built without permits.
The army and police used excessive force against the Palestinians, wounding many, including Arab Member of Knesset Ayman Odeh of Hadash Party, and the head of the Knesset’s Joint List.
Elsewhere, Israeli soldiers shot and injured, on Wednesday at dawn, at least six Palestinians, after the army invaded Qalandia refugee camp, north of occupied Jerusalem, and prevented journalist and medics from entering it. The soldiers demolished structures and causing fires in a truck and several cars.
The invasion was carried out by several army vehicles and jeeps, before the soldiers clashed with local youngsters, who hurled stones and empty bottles on the invading military vehicles.
Also on Wednesday at dawn, Israeli soldiers invaded Nablus city, in the northern part of the occupied West Bank, abducted one Palestinian in addition to shooting two others, as many army vehicles and settlers’ busses invaded the city. Media sources in Nablus said approximately fifteen buses, carrying dozens of colonists, and many army vehicles invaded the Joseph Tomb area, east of Nablus, leading to clashes with many young men, who hurled stones and empty bottles on them.
In the meantime, The Palestinian Prisoners’ Society (PPS) has reported that Israeli soldiers abducted, overnight and at dawn Wednesday, at least fourteen Palestinians, during various invasions targeting homes in several communities in the occupied West Bank.
And that’s all for today from the IMEMC News; this was the Wednesday, January, 18, 2017, news round-up from the Occupied Palestinian Territories. From more news and updates, please visit our website at www.imemc.org Today’s report has been brought to you by George Rishmawi and me Ghassan Bannoura.
