Palestine Today 100808

Wednesday October 08, 2008 19:18 by IMEMC News - Audio Dept

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Welcome to Palestine Today, a service of the International Middle East Media Center, www.imemc.org for Wednesday October 8, 2008.

As Palestinian national dialogue is underway in Cairo, a Hamas leader in Gaza warned of failure of such dialogue. Meanwhile, Israeli authority prevented access of Israeli and Arab doctors into Gaza. Theses stories and more are coming up, stay tuned.

Ahmad Yousef, advisor to Palestinian Prim Minister of the deposed Hamas government, Ismael Haniyeh, warned on Wednesday of failure of the underway intra-Palestinian dialogue in Cairo.

Yousef stressed the need for reaching a national consensus among the Palestinian political faction and mainly the rival Hamas and Fatah parties, so that the Palestinian national interests “are not scattered.”

The Palestinian official also emphasized the need to undertaking five major steps for the dialogue to come out with positive results. The steps include forming a national unity government and reconstructing security services on national and professional basis.

Meanwhile, as the Israeli blockade on Gaza enters its 17th month, the Israeli military prevented today access of an Israeli-Arab medical staff and medical supplies into Gaza who were planning to help in major surgeries for patients in Gaza's hospitals.

According to the popular committee against the siege, at least 247 patients have died due to disability to travel for medical treatment outside of Gaza Strip because of the Israeli blockade.

Also in Gaza, as the Israeli-Palestinian Egyptian-brokered ceasefire enters its fourth month, spokesman of the Al-Qassam brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, warned of an imminent Israeli military invasion of Gaza, adding that Israeli military exercises on the eastern Gaza-Israel border lines are being carried out.

An Israeli military spokesman said early this week that the exercises are for defense purposes and have nothing to do with any military actions against the Gaza Strip.

In the meantime, the Israeli military detained on Wednesday two Palestinian residents from the West Bank city of Jenin and prevented harvesting olive trees in the West Bank city of Salfit.

Israel has tightened the closure imposed on the West Bank cities under the pretext of Jewish holidays of Yum Kipur and Sokkot.

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, and Gorge Rishmawi.

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