Clashes continue in the occupied Palestinian territories
Palestine-Israel, Politics, 12/4/2000

Palestinian demonstrations continued on Sunday against the Israeli occupation in various cities, towns and camps of the West Bank and Gaza strip and the Israeli forces continued its attacks against al-Khalil, Ramullah, Jerusalem and Qalqilya.

News reports said that the Palestinians attacked Israeli positions and patrols with stones and bottles at al-Ram crossing near Jerusalem and the outskirts of al-Khalil and near Qalqilya. The demonstrators clashed with the Israeli soldiers near " Nafi Rekalim" settlement in Gaza in defiance of the Israeli heavy artillery forces launched extensively by the Israeli soldiers.

Tens of Palestinians were wounded during the confrontations took place near Bethlehem. One of them was seriously wounded.

Meantime, the Israeli army chief of staff Shaoul Mofaz gave his instructions which stated to arm the settlers who announced the formation of special team to chase the Palestinians and to open fire on them similar to that took place in Nablus when the Israeli settlers killed two Palestinians while working in their lands.

In the territories of 1948, the Israeli forces continued the campaign of arrest and on Sunday arrested three youths from the villages of the Galilee under the charges of taking part in the Intifada.

In another attack, one Palestinian youth was wounded in al-Teira village by the bullet fire of one Israeli settler.

Other news reports talked about secret contacts between Israel and the Palestinian Authority in an attempt to crystallize the permanent status agreement and to halt the Intifada. But the official in charge of media at the Palestinian Authority Yasser Abd Rabbu denied such negotiations.

He said: " What has been stated by the mass media are but an Israeli invention. Because returning back to the negotiations need guarantees that do not exist."

Barak's office director Jalaad Sheir said " there is no need to sending the US envoy Dennis Ross to the region and that Israel limits its contacts with the Palestinian Authority in order to carry out the understanding of Sharm esh-Sheikh."

In his government's meeting on Sunday, the Israeli prime minister Ehud Barak noted vast coordination between the US and Israel, towards the Israeli- Palestinian negotiations.

Meantime, the secretary of the Fatah movement Marwan al-Barghouti said that the uprising will continue against " occupation and will be escalated day by day despite the Israeli oppression."

The official in charge of planning at the Palestinian government Nabil Shaath and the parliamentary affairs official Nabil Amro stressed that negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian government are futile under the continued Israeli besiege and aggressions against the Palestinians.

Meanwhile, hundreds of Palestinian and Arab people demonstrated outside the Israeli embassy in Oslo in protest of the Israeli oppression against the Palestinians.

The embassy guards threw tear-bombs to disperse the demonstrators who broke the embassy's doors and damaged its fence.

At the Arab level, President of the United Arab Emirates UAE Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan al-Nahyan stressed that defending the holy lands is a sacred duty for every Arab and Muslim. He said " Arab might lies in their solidarity and unity in confrontation of their causes of destiny."

Previous Stories:
  UN General Assembly passes four resolutions on Palestine   (12/2/2000)
  Some 10,000 Palestinians killed or wounded by Israel in al-Aqsa Intifada   (12/2/2000)
  International investigation commission on Palestine starts proceedings Dec.11   (12/1/2000)

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