Palestinians prepare for ‘liberation day’
Day-long broadcast on Palestinian TV entitled, 'Morning of the Evacuation and Liberation' includes commentary and patriotic songs; Hizbullah leader Hassan Nasrallah offers warn wishes to Palestinian nation; Palestinian police re-deployed throughout Gaza
Celebrations in Gaza are already under way, at least in the media: Palestinian TV is featuring a special day-long coverage of Israel's disengagement from the Gaza Strip and parts of the West Bank.
Cameras were placed in areas overlooking the settlements, primarily in northern Gaza Strip, and Palestinian commentators offered a favorable perspective on the pullout, comparing the restraint of the Palestinian public to the settlers' destruction and vandalism of property.
The special coverage was accompanied by patriotic songs about the Palestinian homeland and pending liberation and reinforced the “heroic” Palestinian nation's role in bringing forth the victory.
The broadcast also called for all Palestinians to participate in planned victory celebrations. The day-long broadcast is entitled, "Morning of the evacuation and liberation.”
Nasrallah: Victory proves effectiveness of armed resistance
Hizbullah leader Hassan Nasrallah congratulated the Palestinian people for their “Victory in the Gaza Strip,” saying it is “only the beginning, not the end.”
Nasrallah added that the victory in Gaza, like the victory in Lebanon, proves the effectiveness of armed resistance.
He emphasized that the Palestinians would not grant Israel the satisfaction of a civil war among Arabs, stressing Palestinian unity against the occupation.
Hizbullah's al-Manar television station congratulated the Palestinian people, with its morning broadcasts featuring nationalistic songs about the armed resistance and the “importance of armed resistance in fighting the occupation.”
Palestinian deployment complete
The deployment of Palestinian security forces along an area separating Palestinian and Israeli communities in the Gaza Strip was completed Monday.
Palestinian Interior Minister Nasser Yousef instructed PA security personnel to take all possible steps to prevent Palestinian fire during Israel's withdrawal of its troops and settlers from the Gaza Strip.
Meanwhile, a group of armed Palestinians in Gaza kidnapped a French journalist earlier Monday from a hotel near the coast He was forcefully pushed into a white Subaru.
While the circumstances of the kidnapping are still unclear, it is estimated that the abduction is connected to the continuous power struggle between senior officials in the PA.
In response, Yousef instructed all Palestinian security forces to take necessarily means to release the journalist.
Over the past weeks, the number of kidnapping incidences of foreign journalists and civilians employed by International companies and organizations has increased.
This latest abduction has occurred despite PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas’s call to the public to respect and protect foreigners. In addition, the Palestinian Interior and National Security Ministry has issued a warning threatening severe punishment for those involved.
