Welcome to Palestine Today, a service of the International Middle East Media Center www.imemc.org for Wednesday September 17, 2008.
Israel reopened Gaza crossings after being closed for two days. Meanwhile, two Palestinians of Nablus were slightly wounded. These stories and more are coming up, stay tuned.
The News cast
Palestinian sources reported that the Israeli authorities reopened on Wednesday morning most of Gaza crossings, except the Sufa commercial crossing in southern part of the strip.
The crossings were closed for the past couple of days, after homemade shells landed on nearby Israeli areas, as a Palestinian-Israeli ceasefire is swinging between failure and success.
Meanwhile, two Palestinian residents of the West Bank city of Nablus, were reportedly slightly wounded near the Israeli illegal settlement of Yitzhar. Media sources said settlers of Yitzhar hurled the two residents with stones, causing their injuries.
Settlers from Yitzhar rioted last week at the nearby Burqeen village following claims that a Palestinian stabbed a settler boy earlier. As a result of the settlers’ riot, four Palestinians were wounded, as the settlers invaded the village and painted David star on some of the houses. Eyewitnesses said, Israeli troops were watching the settlers throwing rocks at Palestinian homes, but moved no limb to stop them.
At the political level, Palestinian negotiator Saeb Ereikat, asserted that Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas has already rejected any partial solutions or agreements with Israel during the underway peace talks.
Ereikat said the latest offer by the Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert to reach a partial agreement by end of this year, contradicts the Washington-sponsored Annapolis peace conference of last year, which called for a two-state solution.
Internally, Hamas lawmaker, Mosheer Almasri, confirmed that his party will accept Cairo's invitation for national dialogue and that a delegation of Hamas will head for Cairo by early October.
Recently, representatives of Palestinian factions have been discussing in Cairo ways to end current division between Hamas and Fatah for the best of Palestinian national interests.
In Israel, members of the Israeli ruling Kadima party vote today to elect a new chief for the party to succeed the current chief and Prime Minister Ehud Olmert. Olmert is expected to resign his post following the elections after a series of corruption charges were brought against him.
On this Day, Palestinians commemorate 26 years of the massacre in Sabra and Shatilla refugee camps in Lebanon. For around 40 hours in September 1982, members of the Israeli-allied Lebanese Phalangist militia raped, killed, and injured a large number of unarmed civilians, mostly children, women and elderly people inside the encircled and sealed Sabra and Shatila camps. The estimate figure of victims varies between 700, which is the official Israeli figure to 3,500 according to most human rights organizations. Former Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon was Minister of Defense then.
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, Gorge Rishmawi.
The News cast
Palestinian sources reported that the Israeli authorities reopened on Wednesday morning most of Gaza crossings, except the Sufa commercial crossing in southern part of the strip.
The crossings were closed for the past couple of days, after homemade shells landed on nearby Israeli areas, as a Palestinian-Israeli ceasefire is swinging between failure and success.
Meanwhile, two Palestinian residents of the West Bank city of Nablus, were reportedly slightly wounded near the Israeli illegal settlement of Yitzhar. Media sources said settlers of Yitzhar hurled the two residents with stones, causing their injuries.
Settlers from Yitzhar rioted last week at the nearby Burqeen village following claims that a Palestinian stabbed a settler boy earlier. As a result of the settlers’ riot, four Palestinians were wounded, as the settlers invaded the village and painted David star on some of the houses. Eyewitnesses said, Israeli troops were watching the settlers throwing rocks at Palestinian homes, but moved no limb to stop them.
At the political level, Palestinian negotiator Saeb Ereikat, asserted that Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas has already rejected any partial solutions or agreements with Israel during the underway peace talks.
Ereikat said the latest offer by the Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert to reach a partial agreement by end of this year, contradicts the Washington-sponsored Annapolis peace conference of last year, which called for a two-state solution.
Internally, Hamas lawmaker, Mosheer Almasri, confirmed that his party will accept Cairo's invitation for national dialogue and that a delegation of Hamas will head for Cairo by early October.
Recently, representatives of Palestinian factions have been discussing in Cairo ways to end current division between Hamas and Fatah for the best of Palestinian national interests.
In Israel, members of the Israeli ruling Kadima party vote today to elect a new chief for the party to succeed the current chief and Prime Minister Ehud Olmert. Olmert is expected to resign his post following the elections after a series of corruption charges were brought against him.
On this Day, Palestinians commemorate 26 years of the massacre in Sabra and Shatilla refugee camps in Lebanon. For around 40 hours in September 1982, members of the Israeli-allied Lebanese Phalangist militia raped, killed, and injured a large number of unarmed civilians, mostly children, women and elderly people inside the encircled and sealed Sabra and Shatila camps. The estimate figure of victims varies between 700, which is the official Israeli figure to 3,500 according to most human rights organizations. Former Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon was Minister of Defense then.
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, Gorge Rishmawi.
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