On Monday, an elderly Palestinian man was shot and killed by Israeli army fire in Beit Hanoun, northern Gaza.

Also on Monday, The US State Department signed a deal with a company closely associated with the Blackwater security firm to provide security services in the West Bank,

On Tuesday Spies allegedly working for Israel and involved in the assassination of Iranian scientist, Massoud Ali Mohammadi, were arrested in Tehran today. The scientist, Mohammadi, was assassinated one year ago by explosives hidden in a motorcycle.

The office of Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, issued an official statement defending the demolition of East Jerusalem “Shepherd” Hotel, and challenging international condemnations in this regard. The Hotel was demolished by Israel on Sunday.

In related news, the Israeli Authorities demolished a home in Azzoun Atma village, near the northern West Bank city of Qalqilia, under the pretext of being constructed without a construction permit.

In other news, Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman stated that Israeli organizations which provided information to the United Nations Fact Finding Mission on the Gaza Conflict, the Goldstone Commission) are “net collaborators with terror whose goal is to harm the IDF and its determination to defend Israeli citizens.”

An extremist Israeli group published a video on the internet calling for assassinating Israeli Defense Minister, Ehud Barak, for what the group called “his stances that would give the lands of Israel away”.

In Salfit, Israeli soldiers kidnapped a Palestinian legislator of the Hamas Change and Reform Bloc, Dr. Omar Abdul-Raziq, who also served as the Finance Minister of the Hamas-led government in 2006.

In related news, lawyers from Addameer, the Palestinian prisoner's rights group, visited three of the five Hamas men who were detained by Israel last week in Hebron. Addameer called for their immediate release from Israeli custody.

Today, the Israeli Military Court prosecuting Abdallah Abu Rahmah has accepted the military prosecution's appeal to extend Abdallah Abu Rahmah's sentence. Abu Rahmah was supposed to be released on November 18th 2010, but was kept in detention at the military prosecution’s request. He will now serve an additional 2-3 months in prison, making his serving time a total of sixteen months. Abu Rahmah, the coordinator of the Bil’in Popular Committee Against the Wall and Settlements, was arrested last year on unsubstantiated charges that included stone-throwing and arms possession.

Four activist groups in the US are calling on a tear gas manufacturer to stop providing its products to the Israeli military following the death of Jawaher Abu Rahmah, a Bil'in protested who died after inhaling tear gas fired by the Israeli army in the occupied West Bank village of Bilin.

According to a report issued by The Palestinian Center for Development and Media Freedoms (MADA), there were 17 violations against journalists and two against their property in the West Bank and Gaza. The offenses were committed by both the Israeli army and the Palestinian security services.

According to an official report, Israeli forces have arrested 67 Palestinians since the start of 2011, among them are 13 minors and 3 fishermen.

That sums up our news for today, thank you for joining us from occupied Bethlehem, you have been listening to Palestine Today, from International Middle East Media Center. For more updates, please visit our website at www.imemc.org. This report has been brought to you by Husam Qassis and Ramona M.