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Welcome to Palestine Today, a service of the International Middle East Media Centre, www.imemc.org, for Tuesday, March 23rd 2010.
Settlers attack farmers in the West Bank as Israeli tanks invade border areas in the Gaza Strip. These stories and more coming up, stay tuned.
The News Cast
The Israeli military released on Tuesday at dawn Omer Aladdin from the village of Al Ma’asara near the southern West Bank city of Bethlehem. Aladdin was detained by Israeli troops last week while passing through a military checkpoint near Bethlehem. Aladdin is an English major student in Hebron University. He takes part at the weekly anti wall protests at the village of Al Ma’asara every Friday. Al Ma’asara villagers stage a weekly anti wall protest since three years.
Aladdin, who suffered an injury in his leg as a result of being beaten by the troops. He was questioned over suspicions of participating in demonstrations and assaulting the soldier who detained him. Dozens of eyewitnesses who were at the checkpoint at the time of his detention can attest to the fact that Aladdin was assaulted because he objected to the way the soldier insulted a Palestinian girl on the bus. He was finally brought in front of a judge for the first time this Sunday,
which was also his first opportunity to see a lawyer and informed him of his torture.
In other news armed Israeli settlers attacked on Tuesday Palestinian farmers in a number of locations in the West Bank. In the village of Qaryout, northern West Bank, settlers stopped farmers from reaching their land. Witnesses said the settlers threatened to shoot at the farmers if they move forward to their.
In central West Bank, armed settlers attacked farmers from Sinjel village, while working in their lands. The famers said that they were plowing their lands when settler attacked them. Soldiers arrived at location and moved the settlers away but forced the villagers to leave their lands.
Currently, there are 500,000 settlers living in West Bank settlement. According to international law all Israeli settlement in the West Bank including those in Jerusalem city are illegal.
Elsewhere, Israeli tanks and bulldozers invaded areas in northern Gaza Strip on Tuesday at dawn and opened fire at nearby homes. Witnesses reported that tanks opened fire at their homes as bulldozers destroyed farm lands and trees located close to Erez crossing and the northern borders of the Gaza strip.
Witnesses added that Israeli army helicopters with providing tanks with air support. On Monday night One Israeli soldier was killed by friendly fire while a Palestinian civilian was wounded during clashes with Palestinians fighter at the southern border of the Gaza Strip.
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 Ghassan Bannoura.
