The Israeli Jerusalem municipality hands over demolition orders to Palestinians families, and the military kidnaps civilians in northern West Bank, these stories and more, coming up, stay tuned.

The News Cast

The Israeli municipality handed over on Wednesday a number of demolition orders to Palestinian families from East Jerusalem.

Local sources reported that Israeli police forces attacked and searched homes in Surbaher, Esawiyeh, and inside the old City before handing the demolition orders.

All those areas are Palestinian neighborhoods that Israel is planning to take over and build more Jewish settlements instead, residents reported. The Municipality as always says the homes are built without the needed building permission.

Residents say since Israel occupied the city of Jerusalem in 1967 it has rarely given Palestinians permission to build homes, in the meantime in continue to build settlements in and around the city, an act that is illegal under international law.

The city of Jerusalem is still witnessing a state of tension after Israeli settlers took over a number of homes in the Palestinian East Jerusalem neighborhood of Seikh Jarrah earlier this month.

Elsewhere the Israeli military kidnapped on Wednesday four Palestinian civilians during pre dawn invasions targeting a number of villages near the northern West Bank city of Jenin.

Local sources said that Israeli troops stormed and searched homes in the villages of Barta'a Al Sharkiya, Arraba and Zaboba all located near Jenin city. Witnesses said that troops took the four men and left.

The Israeli Army radio announced that the four men were taken to military detention camps for questioning.

Meanwhile in the Gaza Strip, Mohammad Al Breem, known as Abu Mujahid, spokesperson of the Salah Ed Deen Brigades, stated Wednesday that the Israeli media is deceiving the public by claiming that a progress was made in prisoner-swap talks.

Abu Mujahid told Palestinian media, the resistance did not change its conditions regarding the release of 1400 detainees, including 450 who are sentenced to life-terms, and those who spent many years in Israeli prisons.

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.