Israeli measures against Palestinians intensify
Palestine-Israel, Politics, 10/13/2000

The Israeli warplanes, helicopters and warships on Thursday continued attacking the Palestinians in their villages, cities, and the attacks resulted in further destruction and devastation and complete darkness prevailed on most Palestinian cities as the Israelis raided the electricity generation stations.

Several raids were carried out against the Palestinian cities especially in Gaza, Ramullah, Nablus and al-Khalil and raid number 6 on Ramullah on Thursday evening targeted a complex including the offices of the Palestinian government. The Israeli bombardment also targeted the port of Gaza and several Palestinian centers were rocketed.

Eyewitnesses said the Israeli bombardment also targeted the hospitals, the firefighting centers and shipping ports.

Meantime, the Israeli occupation forces imposed a tough military siege on the occupied Palestinian territories and called on the settlers in Natsareim, Goushe Katieve in Gaza strip to adhere to their shelters.

Victims of this aggression increased to 4 and more 30 were wounded.

However, the angry Palestinian masses in Ramullah killed three Israeli soldiers who were disguised in Palestinian costumes. Channel 2 of the Israeli TV said that Israel intends to launch more raids against targets in other parts of the Palestinian territories.

Palestinian sources said that the occupation authorities deployed more tanks and forces to Gaza strip while the Israeli army cordoned all Palestinian villages and citizens and roads leading to them in the West Bank and the Gaza strip by heavy artillery and tanks. The spokesman for Barak's government Nakhman Shaa, threatened to set the Middle east ablaze.

Meantime, the Israeli settlers burnt a mosque in Hawarah village near Nablus in the occupied West Bank. The Israeli army radio said that several settlers, protected by the Israeli army broke into the village and set fire in the mosque. Immediately the Palestinians tried to defend the mosque but the Israeli forces in the area opened fire on the Palestinians and many of them were wounded. Meantime, the Palestinians of the occupied Arab territories announced the establishment of a national follow up commission to follow up matters relating to al-Aqsa Intifada and to confront the Israeli oppressive acts in the occupied Arab lands. The commission is composed of various Palestinian trends and groups, including Islamic groups.

In its first statement which was issued on Thursday and was also signed by the Palestinian national movement Hamas and the Islamic Jihad movement called for boycotting all Israeli products and to establish defense committees in charge of fighting the settlers, the Israeli radio reported.

Concerning the negotiations, Palestinian President Yasser Arafat met in Gaza on Thursday the director of the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) George Tenet in an attempt to reach an agreement that puts an end to the acts of violence.

The Palestinians and the Israelis refused to comment on the meeting of the tripartite security committee, chaired by the US.

In Beirut, the secretary general of the UN Kofi Annan said he will take part in the meetings of the tripartite security committee between Israel, the Palestinians and the US.

Previous Stories:
  Israel's bombardment of Palestinian territories   (10/12/2000)
  Barak warns citizens from terrorist operations   (10/12/2000)
  British foreign minister meets Barak and Arafat   (10/12/2000)

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