Following summit, fighting continues
Palestine-Israel, Politics, 10/18/2000

The Sharm al-Sheikh summit which was held on Tuesday failed so far to return things to what had been before on September 28.

Occupied Jerusalem witnessed armed confrontation, especially after Israel abstained from withdrawing its soldiers and armored vehicles from the surrounding of the Palestinian towns and cities, according to what was agreed in the summit.

The Israeli prime minister was considered as he left the summit victorious in that an agreement was reached to halt the Palestinian uprising and replacing the Palestinian demand to open an international investigations on the Israeli massacres against the Palestinians by a four-member committee ( Palestinian, Israeli, and American with the participation of the UN secretary General Kofi Annan who took part in the Summit).

The Palestinians side said that the Palestinian President Yasser Arafat agreed "hesitantly " to Clinton's statement which was a substitute for a final statement.

Upon the end of the summit, which seemed to pass the crisis to the coming Arab summit will obligate this summit to take decisive measures protecting the Palestinian people, various stances were issued by various Palestinian sides, including the Fatah movement which is chaired by Arafat, Hamas movement and the two peoples and democratic fronts for the liberation of Palestine, all announcing rejection for the results of the summit, in treating equally the killer and the killed as these sides stressed that the uprising will continue.

On Tuesday the Israeli occupation forces escalated its aggressions against the Palestinians who confirmed that the Israeli forces shelled Rafah camp for the refugees in Gaza by missiles. A matter which israel had denied. The result of Tuesday's aggressions was the killing of three Palestinians and wounding almost other 100.

Three Israeli soldiers were wounded in an attack in Jeiloufi quarters in East Jerusalem.

An Israeli official source said that Barak gave his instructions to his army " to work for halting the violence" following the Sharm esh Sheikh agreement.

In a statement released by the Israeli cabinet, Barak announced that the " army and the police will be careful to maintain the ceasing of fire and avoiding more human casualties."

The statement added that "Israel intends to implement the agreements reached immediately upon my return. I have ordered the officials in charge of security to exert all their efforts to implement the Sharm esh Sheikh statement and to achieve that to contact their Palestinian and American counterparts to move together to this effect." The statement announced that the Israeli forces permitted the opening of Gaza airport.

Meantime, an Israeli high ranking official had announced following the summit that a secret security agreement was reached with the Palestinians. The Palestinian minister Yasser Abd Rabbu denied that strongly.

Arafat announced that the Palestinians expect from Israel to implement what was agreed on, while the Palestinian minister Nabil Shaath said that the Palestinian side " is not happy, but we have to protect the souls of our people."

Previous Stories:
  Clinton invites Israel and Palestinians to meet in US within two weeks   (10/17/2000)
  The Palestinians ask Arafat not to sit with Barak   (10/17/2000)
  Palestinian official: Extending Sharm El-Sheik meeting is evidence of disputes   (10/17/2000)

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