Palestine Today 09 22 2011

More military actions in the occupied West Bank and the PA may not demand a fast UN resolution on statehood bid, the details in the following report stay tuned.

Israeli military stormed the villages of Burqin and al-‘Arqah near the northern West Bank city of Jenin on Thursday. Military vehicles patrolled the streets of the villages, no arrests were reported.

Palestinian sources said that an Infantry division was deployed among olives groves in Jenin.

In the meantime, Israeli armed settlers from the nearby settlement of Mabu Dotan, an off-shoot from Dotan settlement had intensive presence near the villages of Ya'bad and Barta'a.

The Maan News agency said that the Israeli army was carrying a military drill in the area.

Troops fired live rounds at mock targets and fired a number of tear gas bombs which forced some of the families to leave the area.

Meanwhile, an Israeli military force invaded the village of Al-Shawawreh near Bethlehem and broke into two homes.

Eyewitnesses said that troops broke into the house of Issa Rabay'a and Qader ad-Dar'awi and searched them and left without any arrests.

In latest development on the Palestinian statehood bid at the UN, the Palestinian Authority may not push for a quick UN Security Council vote. The Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is set to submit the application to the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon on Friday, who will submit it to the Security Council.

Palestinian Presidency spokesperson, Nabil Abu Rodeina, stated that the Palestinian side will be willing to return to the negotiating table after Israel stops all of its settlement activities, violations, and after it agrees that talks should be based on the full withdrawal to the 1967 borders.

The slowing down of the Security Council bid is said to give world leaders more of a chance to try to find a suitable alternative that would ensure the resumption of direct peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians.


Talking to reporters on Wednesday, Palestinian negotiator, Dr. Nabil Shaath, said that the Palestinian leadership wants to grant the Security Council extra time to process the full membership application before heading to the General Assembly.

Palestinian political sources said that the PA will mull the French proposal presented by the French President Nicolai Sarkouzy to temporarily upgrade the Palestinian membership in the UN to an observer instead of a full member.

France refrained from whether it is going to vote in favor or against the Palestinian statehood bid if presented to the UN Security council.

A French foreign ministry spokesman said that “We hope we will not have to vote in the UN Security Council.”

That was just some of the news from Palestine Today, for more updates, please visit our website at www.imemc.org. Thank you for joining us from occupied Bethlehem. This report has been brought to you by Hussam Qassis and me, George Rishmawi.