The Palestinian Legislative Council in Gaza decided on Monday that the term of office of Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas, will end officially in January 08, 2009. Meanwhile, Israeli troops invade Qabatiya and capture a Palestinian fighter. These stories and more are coming up, stay tuned.

In the ongoing controversy over the post of the Palestinian President, the Hamas-dominated Palestinian Legislative Council in Gaza decided today that the term in office of Palestinian president will officially end January 08, 2009.

Faraj el-Ghoul, a Hamas lawmaker and head of the PLC's legal committee, stated that President Mahmoud Abbas of Fatah, will no longer be dealt with as a President after January 2009, and that deputy-head of parliament will take the post until general elections are held.

Meanwhile, Dr. Abdelsattar Qassem, a prominent independent academic, declared today he would run for presidential elections once they are called.

In a different internal Palestinian issue, a Hamas delegation, headed by the prominent Hamas leader in Gaza, Dr. Mahmoud Al-Zahar, is set to move to Cairo today for an upcoming Egyptian-mediated intra-Palestinian dialogue over national unity.

At the Palestinian-Israeli level, Israeli foreign minister and head of the Israeli cabinet, Tzipi Livni, said on Monday that peace talks with the Palestinians should continue in accordance with the Annapolis peace conference of last year.

Livni also called on her Ramallah-counterpart, Dr. Riyad Al-Malki, to work to stop the homemade shells being fired from Gaza into nearby Israeli towns, 'so that a progress in negotiations can be maintained'.

In other news, Israeli military forces captured on Monday morning a leader of Al-Quds Brigades, the armed wing of the Islamic Jihad movement in the Palestinian town of Qabatiya, local sources reported.

Al-Quds Brigades said in a press release, “An undercover Israeli force ambushed Naji Nazzal near his home in the Nazzal neighborhood at 4:15 in the morning. They fired at the man outside his home, but he managed to get inside.”

Other members of the group arrived to back him up, and clashed with Israeli troops surrounded Nazzal’s house. Troops managed to break into the home after they fired shells at the other resistance fighters, and took Nazzal to undisclosed location.

Also today Israeli settlers in the West Bank city of Tulkarem, attacked olive harvesters in villages near the city, but no causalities were reported.

In a related development, 150 dunums of arable land were set on fire in the West Bank village of Qiffin. Witnesses said that Israeli military hindered fire fighting brigades from getting to the scene.

Thank you for joining us from occupied Bethlehem. You have been listening to Palestine Today from the International Middle East Media Center, www.imemc.org. This report has been brought to you by Rami Al-Meghari, and Gorge Rishmawi