Comprehensive strike in the West Bank, Gaza, continued confrontations
Palestine-Israel, Politics, 8/14/2001

Comprehensive strike prevailed all parts of the occupied West Bank and Gaza as an expression of the rejection of the Palestinians to Israel's occupation of the " Orient House," while the Israeli tanks bombarded villages and houses in Rafah and these resulted in more casualties among unarmed civilians and their properties.

Sources of the Palestinian national and Islamic forces, which called for the strike which covered all walks of life in the occupied territories announced that all what has been made embody the total rejection of the Palestinians to the Israeli measures including occupation of the Orient House and the Palestinian houses and establishments. The strike covered all economic activities in Ramullah, Toulkarem, Nablus, Hebron, Jerusalem and Gaza.

For the fourth running day, Arab citizens in the surrounding of the " Orient House" demonstrated in protest of the Israeli measures.

The Israeli forces beat an Egyptian TV team in the West Bank while shooting the strike and as a result photographer Abdul Naser Abdoun was taken to hospital after he was beaten and two other correspondents were also beaten when they tried to shoot the scenes ( of beating Abdoun).

Meantime, The Israeli tanks bombarded several villages and housing aggregations for the Palestinians in Rafah and this resulted in destroying several houses.

In retaliation the Palestinian Intifada Youths mortared an Israeli military position near the city and also the two Israeli settlements of Nafe Dekalim and Ghoushe Kateive.

News reports in the occupied Palestinian territories said that one child and a teenager Palestinian female were wounded in the Israeli bombardment of Abu Senyah quarters in Hebron and an explosive went off in an Israeli military car in Rafah while the Israeli forces closed the crossing of the city and destroyed a position for the Palestinian security in it.

Three Palestinians were wounded by the Israeli bullets in the confrontations which took place after the funeral held for the Palestinian female child who were killed in the Israeli attacks against Hebron on Sunday evening, while hundreds of Palestinians visited the poor house of one room to offer condolences on the death of the Palestinian Muhammad Mahmoud Naser who carried out on Sunday the suicide operation in an Israeli restaurant near Haifa and resulted in wounding 20 Israelis.

While the Israeli defense minister Benjamin Bin Aleazer has summoned military officials to his ministry in Tel Aviv to take a decision on the possibility of carrying out a large- scale military operation against the Palestinians, an Israeli political source said that the Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon permitted his foreign minister Shimon Peres to assume dialogue with the Palestinians concerning only cease fire and not to have negotiations concerning the political solutions if confrontations between the two sides will continue.

Palestinian officials retaliated to this proposal by saying that dialogue with the government of Sharon will be of no meaning before its forces will evacuate the Palestinian offices it had occupied in the eastern part of Jerusalem on Thursday.

The Israeli daily Maarve said that Peres is studying a proposal which provides for Israel's withdrawal from Gaza for halting the Intifada, claiming that Peres studies the question of Israel's withdrawal and permitting the chairman of the Palestinian Authority PA Yasser Arafat to declare the independent state, unilaterally or following an agreement and this will be for halting the Intifada, arresting its activists and resuming security meetings between the two sides.

Previous Stories:
  Arab Lawyers condemn occupation of orient house   (8/13/2001)
  New suicide operation near Haifa   (8/13/2001)
  Continued arrests of Palestinians   (8/13/2001)

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