The Newscast
Palestinian security sources confirmed the death of a policeman and also the injury of another in Gaza city. The policeman was shot dead during a crackdown on a number of criminals Monday.
Meanwhile, Israeli sources said today, that an Israeli soldier was stabbed near the West Bank city of Jericho. The sources suspected that a Palestinian from the West Bank city of Ramallah, snatched the soldier's rifle and then stabbed him.
In another development, Palestinian resistance factions in Gaza have warned of the possible collapse of the ceasefire agreement between them and Israel, which Egypt brokered in June 19, 2008. The warning came after Israel closed all Gaza's crossings today in the wake of a homemade shell fire on nearby Israeli areas yesterday.
At the political level, King Abdullah II of Jordan and the Foreign policy chief of the European Union, Javier Solana, warned of prolonged Palestinian-Israeli negotiations from Amman yesterday.
The two parties have called for the successful completion of the peace agreement by the end of this year. Solana pledged that the EU will exert all political pressure required on both parties to reach an agreement.
Internally here in Palestine, the deputy-speaker of the Hamas-dominated Palestinian legislative council, Ahmad Bahar, called on the rival Fatah and Hamas parties to end their current division, and to start a serious national dialogue.
Representatives of both parties are expected to travel to Cairo in the next few days, to join the other Palestinian factions in the Egyptian sponsored talks in order to achieve national unity.
Conclusion:
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, Hussam Qassis and Gorge Rishmawi.