Israel approves construction of 900 settlement units in eastern Jerusalem

OCCUPIED JERUSALEM -- Different Hebrew media sources reported Wednesday that the Israeli government approved the building of 900 settlement units in the eastern part of occupied Jerusalem.

They said that the committee for planning and construction of the Israeli interior ministry sanctioned the building of these units in Gilo settlement.

According to the Israeli Haaretz newspaper, these units are the first phase of a broader and comprehensive plan aimed at expanding the settlement, there are still more than 4,000 settlement units in Gilo pending the final approval.

In another context, a large number of Israeli troops stormed at dawn Wednesday Palestinian homes in the town of Idna and Al-Aroub refugee camp in Al-Khalil in the West Bank, and assaulted a young man at Al-Hawwar checkpoint, north of the city.

Palestinian eyewitnesses told the Palestinian information center (PIC) that Israeli troops invaded Idna and imposed a curfew in the vicinity of the house of a citizen called Tayseer Abu Juhaisha and damaged its furniture, adding that they stayed several hours inside the house before withdrawing.

Other Israeli troops broke into and ransacked the house of a Palestinian citizen from the family of Abu Khairan in Al-Aroub camp for the third consecutive time in less than a week, and detained the family members inside a room.

It was also reported that a 24-year-old young man called Abdelrahman Al-Abd was moderately wounded when he was attacked by Israeli troops at Al-Hawwar checkpoint.

Medical sources said that the young man sustained different bruises in his body and was transferred to Al-Khalil hospital.

In another incident, Israeli settlers threw stones at Palestinian citizens on the Shalala street in the old city in Al-Khalil for the second time in a week without any reported injuries.

For its part, the Hebrew radio alleged that a Palestinian homemade rocket landed Wednesday morning in Sha’ar Hanegev area in western Negev without inflicting casualties.

No Palestinian party claimed responsibility for the attack. [adm/palestine-info]