Palestine Today 082807

Tuesday August 28, 2007 17:12 by Ghassan Bannoura - IMEMC - Audio Dept.

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Welcome to Palestine Today, a service of the International Middle East Media Centre, www.imemc.org, for Tuesday August 28th, 2007.

In the West Bank, the Israeli army launches a number of invasions in various towns and cities. In the Gaza Strip meanwhile, one resident of Sderot is lightly injured by a home-made missile fired from the coastal region. These stories and more coming up. Stay tuned.

The West Bank

The Israeli army implemented a series of military operations in different areas of the West Bank in the early hours of Tuesday morning. In Nablus, security sources reported that troops invaded the city and the Balata refugee camp, kidnapping four Palestinians. In a separate operation, the army invaded the Ein Beit Al Ma refugee camp near Nablus, and Al Bathan, located north of Nablus. No abductions were reported. Elsewhere in the northern West Bank, Israeli military forces abducted 6 Palestinians from Abu Da'ef village, located north of Jenin, in the early hours of Tuesday morning.

In the southern West Bank city of Hebron, Israeli forces abducted 3 Palestinians. The Israeli army also invaded the Al Mazra'a Al Sharqia town, located to the east of the central West Bank city of Ramallah. No abductions were reported.
In other news, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert met on Tuesday in the Israeli Premier’s official residence in Jerusalem. The meeting was closed to the press. Earlier on Monday, President Abbas voiced concern over the worth of the upcoming Middle East peace conference, declaring that negotiations would be a “waste of time” if only concerned with a declaration of principles. It is widely expected that the two leaders will meet once again before the summit, scheduled to be held in November.
The Gaza Strip
Palestinian sources reported that one civilian was severely injured on Tuesday afternoon after an Israeli army tank stationed at the northern Gaza-Israel borders opened fired at him. Eyewitnesses said that the man was unarmed when he approached the borders. Medical sources reported that the man suffers from severe learning difficulties and is unaware of his actions. Despite attempting to reach the scene of the attack, Palestinian ambulances were barred from treating the man by the Israeli army, who instead kidnapped the victim of the attack.

The deposed Hamas government of Ismail Haniyeh on Monday issued a decree ordering striking doctors to immediately shut down all private clinics in the Gaza Strip, local sources reported. The move, which many perceive as a direct challenge to the Fatah-led administration in the West Bank, comes weeks after the Fatah movement ordered Gaza doctors to restrict their working hours in protest against the arrest of a prominent physician in the region.

A resident of Sderot was lightly injured on Tuesday morning when a home-made shell fired from the Gaza Strip struck a house in the town. The man, as yet unidentified, was injured by shrapnel from the explosion. Two others were treated for shock. The Al-Aqsa Brigades, the armed wing of Fatah, claimed responsibility for the attack.

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, brought to you by John Smith and Ghassan Bannoura.

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