Latest news on Palestine…
1) The International Middle East Media Centre reports that on Monday this week, Israeli soldiers demolished four Palestinian family homes and a 250 cubic/meter water reservoir serving the entire village of Farasin, in the northern West Bank. Another 3 Palestinian family homes were also demolished in southern Jerusalem, the Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood and the Khirbit Beit Iskariya villages. Soldiers also forced another Palestinian family to demolish their own home in southern Jerusalem. It’s understood that this is the start of a new wave of attacks on Palestinian homes and structures as Israeli soldiers handed out military orders for the demolition of 36 homes, water wells and other structures a week earlier. Israeli soldiers have also built a military fortification in the Tal Abu Jundiyya area, east of Yatta town which overlooks all the Palestinian homes in the area as well as the illegal Israeli Havat Ma’on settlement, built on private Palestinian lands.
2) A group of Israeli settlers chased and attacked a Palestinian man who was working on his own land to the north of Huwwara town today. The settlers then set upon 30yr old Mustafa al-Masri leaving him with bruises and fractures and requiring hospital care.
3) Palestine Chronicle reports that a Palestinian family forced to live in cave after Israeli authorities refused them permission to build a home have now been given notice that they will be evicted from their cave dwelling and that it too will be demolished.
4) Israeli soldiers uprooted over 100 olive grove saplings in a 2.5acre Palestinian orchard and demolished retaining walls surrounding the land situated near Wad Rahhal village, south of Bethlehem today.
5) Austrian government provides 350,000 euros to the Palestinian Water Authority to help finance a project to help provide water security in Palestine. The funds will go towards water purification devices and materials, as well as equipment to conduct maintenance of water pumping stations and pre-treatment chemicals used in desalination plants, amongst other things.
6) WAFA reports that Israeli Soldiers tore down and seized two residential tents in Masafer Yatta villages of al-Fakhit and Maghayer al-Abeed, and displaced 10 people today. The soldiers also ordered a halt on construction work in the villages and seized construction materials and equipment, including an electrical generator and a concrete mixer and then issued a military notice to one of the farmers to demolish his barns or risk paying exorbitant fines and prosecution. Other farmers were issued orders not to reclaim their farmlands and one was told he had to appear before Israeli intelligence services at an Israeli settlement.
