Five Palestinians killed, Israel reoccupied Palestinian territories
Palestine-Israel, Politics, 4/18/2001

Israel on Tuesday continued its attacks against the Palestinian people. It bombarded several Palestinian villages and towns by tanks and artillery. As a result five Palestinians were killed in the confrontation took place on Tuesday in the areas of the west bank and Gaza.

On Monday evening the Israeli occupation forces invaded sectors in Gaza following unprecedented land, sea and air bombardment since its occupation of Gaza in 1967, in a bloody operation, Israel sought to practically threaten the people of the sector and the Palestinian Authority, alike.

The Israeli invasion also aimed at forming " security belts" around the settlements. But after declaring the possibility of staying at the new positions for long months, the Israeli forces started to return back to their previous position after an American interference necessitated by the danger of reaching confrontation, especially on the ground of the Israeli aggression against the Syrian forces in Lebanon.

Some saw the vast Israeli military operation against Gaza seemed as if it was an attempt to show the ability to reoccupy any of the Palestinians areas and to end the Palestinian self- rule, if the Intifada continues.

The Egyptian reaction to Israel's invasion of Gaza was remarkable as Cairo warned Tel Aviv from attempts to get her involved in the struggle.

The Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak denied Israeli accusation on that Egypt is smuggling weapons from Egypt to the Palestinian territories. Mubarak said in a statement to the Egyptian TV he held in conclusion of his talks with the chairman of the Palestinian Authority Yasser Arafat in Sharm el-Sheikh saying: " we do not smuggle weapons, nor any thing else. But if Sharon wants to provoke, this will be then another thing."

The large- scale Israeli attack was coincided with the visit made by the Jordanian foreign minister Abdul Illah al-Khatib to Israel, where he had met with Sharon and handed him Egyptian- Jordanian proposals on resuming the negotiations. The Jordanian prime minister Ali Abu al-Ragheb announced that his country is waiting an Israeli reply to the Jordanian- Egyptian paper which aims at halting the Israeli violence in the Palestinian territories.

On Monday, al-Khatib made talks in Israel with high ranking Israeli officials on the Jordanian- Egyptian paper which calls for halting the Israeli violence in the Palestinian territories through reciprocated confidence arrangements based on previously reached understandings as well as reviving the negotiations on the permanent solution for the Palestinian- Israeli conflict.

A palestinian security source said on Tuesday that the Israeli army on Tuesday evening ended its withdrawal from Beit Hanoun in North Gaza which this army had occupied on Monday. The Palestinian source added that the " Israeli army ended its withdrawal from the Palestinian areas it had occupied in Beit Hanoun town to the north of Gaza." The source explained that " Four Israeli trucks to transport tanks, 6 armored vehicles and military Jibs were seen withdrawing towards areas under the Israeli control."

On Monday evening the Israeli forces advanced into Beit Hanoun area which falls under the Palestinian Authority and also advanced on Tuesday to a distance of 800 meters into the Palestinian self- rule areas.

In a written, tough statement the US secretary of State Colin Powell called on the Israelis to commit to withdrawal from Gaza according to items of the agreement signed by the Israeli and the Palestinian sides.

Previous Stories:
  Israel reoccupied a portion of the Gaza strip   (4/17/2001)
  Hamas and al-Khatib's visit to Israel   (4/17/2001)
  Israel Readies to Attack Arab Countries, Official   (4/14/2001)

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