Palestine Today 022309

in the news today calls for protests in the West bank against Israeli demolition orders on homes in Jerusalem and clashes are reported in Gaza , these stories and more coming up stay tuned.

The News Cast

The Israeli Army opened fire Monday at a Palestinian civilian's car near the Israeli Gaza borders in the central Gaza Strip. Israeli forces at the borders also opened fire on Palestinians. The Israeli Army claimed they were planting a home made bomb nearby the Kissufim military post at the borders.

Shortly after the incident Israeli troops invaded the nearby Al Maghazi Refugee Camp and fired at civilian's homes, causing damage. But no injuries have so far been reported. The Israeli Army stated that the troops clashed with local resistance fighters.

Meanwhile, Israeli sources said that two homemade shells fired from Gaza landed in Israel, near the coast, causing no damage or injuries. In related news, Palestinian sources said that the Israeli Army allowed a few trucks loaded with cooking gas to enter the Gaza Strip on Monday.

The Palestinian Liberation Organization called on Monday for protests against the latest Israeli decision to demolish Palestinian homes in the Silwan neighborhood of Jerusalem.
At a press conference today in the central West Bank city of Ramallah, Yasser Abed Rabo, the head of the executive committee of the PLO called for a general strike next Saturday. He said this would be the first in a series of actions Palestinians would take to demonstrate the Israeli decision.

Israel announced on Sunday that it has plans to evacuate the entire Silwan neighborhood and demolish 80 properties that are home to 1,500 people. The Israeli government plans to construct a park with flowers, trees, and cafes where the Silwan neighborhood now stands.

The issue is not new as reported by Fakhri Abu Diab, a member of the Committee for the Defense of the Territory of Silwan and Director of Al Bustan Center. In 2000, Israel issued demolition orders for all of the houses in Silwan on the grounds that they were built without the proper licensing. However the popular resistance confronted the order with a media campaign and demonstrations.

Abu Diab was among those who engaged in legal proceedings to stop the demolition. With a team of engineers all Israeli requirements were met yet they were still denied building permits.

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 and George Rishmawi.