Wafa News agency has reported that eleven Palestinian teenagers have been arrested in the Palestinian district of Silwan in East Jerusalem. The teenagers, aged between 14-17, were taken from their homes by Israeli military on Wednesday during a raid of the area. The teenagers are accused of throwing stones at the nearby settlement of Beit Yonatan.

Agency France Press has reported that Israel has given the go ahead to build a planned “tolerance museum” on top of a Muslim burial site. The plans were the subject of a lengthy legal battle brought by Palestinians, some of whom have family buried under the proposed site. Activists say that building a museum dedicated to tolerance on a burial ground is self contradictory.

Palestinian medical sources reported Wednesday that a Palestinian youth was injured when a group of Israeli settlers ambushed a Palestinian car, near the northern West Bank city of Jenin, and hurled stones at them from a close range while threatening to shoot them dead. The wounded resident, identified as Bassem Mousa Al Khateeb, 18, suffered mild injuries.

On Wednesday at night, the Israeli Air Force carried out an air strike targeting the border area, between Gaza and Egypt, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip, and a shed in Gaza City. Palestinian medical sources reported that five residents were injured, and one remained missing, likely buried under the rubble, after the Israeli Air Force bombarded a tunnel at the Gaza-Egypt border, in Rafah, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip.

As Israel escalates its arrests campaign against the Palestinians in Jerusalem, including children, a member of the Al-Bustan Popular Committee, has reported that Israel collected more than 900.000 USD in fines imposed on Palestinian children in Jerusalem over the period of nine months. Abu Diab stated that the police are abducting the children, and imposing high fines on them under the pretext of hurling stones at the Israeli army.

“Israeli courts are imposing very high fines on the Palestinian children of East Jerusalem”, Abu Diab said, “The parents are obliged to pay these fines in order to secure the release of their children”.

Eli Yishai, Israeli Interior Minister and member of the Shas ultra-orthodox party, is demanding that the Israeli cabinet extends the ban on family unification for Arabs and Palestinians for an additional six months. The law does not affect spouses that are Jewish, but prevents Arab citizens of Israel, married to Palestinians, from obtaining family unification documents to be able to live together in Israel.

Israeli sources reported on Wednesday evening that the Israeli government decided to approve a plan aiming at the expansion of the Itamar illegal settlement, near the northern West Bank city of Nablus.

The Israeli Education Ministry has published new guidelines to Israeli kindergarten school teachers to raise the Israeli flag and sing the Israeli anthem every week with their students. The directive is part of new guidelines for Israeli kindergarten teachers published last week, according to Haaretz. In January Israeli teachers petitioned Education Minister Gideon Sa’ar to take action against the rising levels of racism among Israeli students targeted against Palestinians and Arabs.

According to Maan news agency the PA will call municipal elections in the West Bank and Gaza strip for October. The move is a means of deepening the recent unity agreement between Fatah and Hamas and giving it reality on the ground, according to PA official Ghassan Shaka.

The Palestinian Society for Fishing and Water Sports reported that the international boat, Olivia, run by human rights activists to monitor Israeli violations against Palestinian fishermen, was located in front of the Gaza Shore after going losing all communications for one hour as the Israeli Navy attacked it. The navy used water cannons against the boat causing damages to its communication systems, and damaging its engine.

Several international activists were onboard the boat when the attack took place. The activists accompany Palestinian fishing boats and fishermen, subject to constant violations and attacks by the Israeli Navy as Israel continues to enforce its illegal siege on Gaza, including its illegal Naval blockade.


That’s rounds up the main news for today. Please join us again tomorrow for a summary of important events in the Palestinian Territories. You have been listening to Palestine Today from the International Middle East Media Centre. For more updates please visit our website at www.imemc.org. This report has been brought to you by Husam Qassis and me David Steele