Settlers step up attacks in the West Bank and the Palestinian President expresses disappointment regarding Obama's attitude, these stories and more, coming up, stay tuned.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas says U.S. President Barak Obama gave us hope then abandoned us midway. Abbas' comments were published in an interview with the American “Newsweek” magazine. Abbas said that the Palestinian leadership knew Obama before he became president, and he was very sympathetic with the Palestinians.

However, Obama threatened to impose sanctions on the Palestinian Authority if it insists to ask the UN to condemn the ongoing settlement activities in the West Bank and to insist on settlement freeze as a pre-requisite to resume negotiations.

The Palestinian President added that it was Obama who suggested that settlement activity should freeze before the peace process can continue.

The Palestinian Authority is planning to ask the UN for a recognition of a Palestinian State on the borders of 1967 amidst wide acceptance and rejections by the US and Germany.

On the ground, Palestinian sources reported that hundreds of Israeli settlers, mostly armed, are roaming around the city of Nablus in the northern part of the West Bank. This motion by the settlers comes two days after an Israeli settler was shot dead in Nablus, believed to be by Israeli military gunfire by mistake.

The settlers was killed when a group of settlers invaded Nablus and attempted to enter the Tomb of Joseph in the city. Palestinian police tried to stop them however, the settlers pointed their guns at the police. Palestinian sources say settlers opened fire in the air to stop the settlers. Immediately a nearby Israeli military post responded to eh source of fire, which led to the settlers' death.

Both Israel and the PA are investigating the incident, but no final report has been issued yet.

In the meantime, Israeli soldiers imposed a tight closure on the village of Azzoun near Qalqilia in the West Bank Tuesday morning. Head of the village council, Ahmad Imran said Israeli troops set up temporary checkpoints at all the entrances of the village and denied entry and exit to anyone.
Imran said he is not informed of the reason behind this closure.

On Monday, a group of extremist settlers attacked a number of Palestinian homes near the Keryat Arba' illegal settlement inside the city of Hebron in the southern West Bank, a local source reported.

Settlers also attacked a car that belongs to resident Mohamamd al-Qameeri from Hebron, and broke its wind shield however, no injuries were reported.

That sums up our news for today, thank you for joining us from occupied Bethlehem. You have been listening to Palestine Today from the 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 me Fredricka Kallstrom.