One Palestinian killed, Palestinians clash with settlers, Israeli tanks besiege Palestinians areas
Palestine-Israel, Politics, 8/16/2001

News reports on Wednesday said that different clashes took place on Wednesday in Gaza between the Palestinians and the Israeli forces and stressed that hundreds of Israeli tanks and armored vehicles imposed a strong besiege on Jenin, Hebron, Bethlehem, Beit Sahour, Beit Jala and areas surrounding these towns.

The news reports expected an Israeli military breaking in into Bethlehem.

The chairman of the Palestinian general intelligence Amin al-Hindi said that all the Palestinians are ready to deter any Israeli breaking in operation.

Chairman of Bethlehem municipality Hanna Naser said that strong clashes took place between the Palestinian Intifada youth and the Israeli forces on Wednesday at dawn after the Israeli forces occupied two buildings in the city overlook at Geilo settlement.

Member of the Palestinian legislative council Fakhri al-Turkman said that the Israeli forces which on Wednesday broke into Jenin avoided to enter the camp which is close to the city of fears of heavy losses in its lines because of the preparations taken by the citizens of the camp to defend themselves, houses and properties.

Al-Turkman explained that the breaking in of the Israeli forces for Jenin's camp would have resulted in a real massacre as there were 20 teenager who were prepared to explode themselves in any Israeli tank to enter the camp.

However, following the threats voiced by the Israeli prime minister to break into Beit Jala, the Israeli cabinet postponed the implementation of this decision after the Israeli foreign minister Shimon Peres asked for canceling the breaking in operation and his persistence to seek for maintaining a cease- fire.

Israeli defense ministry sources said that instead of launching a large- scale operation in the area which falls under the Palestinian control, the Israeli army was confined to enter villages which are under the security control of Israel and under the administrative control of the Palestinian Authority. These are the villages of al-Asakera, Harmala, Beit Ta'mor, and al-Arouj.

The Israeli defense minister Benjamin Bin Aleazer said that Israel was not exposed to any pressure in order to halt the military operation in Beit Jala, rather wanted to give Yasser Arafat the chance to maintain cease- fire at the Israeli settlement of Geilo.

The Palestinian resistance men had opened fire directly at Geilo settlement after they knew about the Israeli forces breaking into Jenin.

Meantime, the Israeli forces broke into al-Aroub camp to the north of Hebron and arrested three Palestinians including one member in the police and the Israeli forces also assassinated Imad Abu Senyah under the pretext that he is wanted by the Israeli authorities.

In this context, Israeli settlers burnt a Palestinian supermarket in Hebron, under the protection of the Israeli forces and immediately strong clashes took place between the Palestinians who were defending their properties and the Israeli forces and settlers.

The Israeli forces also launched a large scale campaign of arrest in Haifa, of which Sharon's office said they are members in the Islamic Jihad, noting that an explosive was defused at a car parking station for an Israeli court in the city ( Haifa) after the building was evacuated.

In London, the British foreign ministry summoned the Israeli ambassador and informed him its concern over the policy of breaking in and destroying the Palestinian houses. The British ministry asked the ambassador to inform his government on the need to abide by the agreements signed with the Palestinians including the borders separating Israeli and the Palestinian self- rule areas.

Previous Stories:
  Israeli forces were forced to leave Jenin, confrontations continued   (8/15/2001)
  Annan urges Israeli authorities to end occupation of Orient House   (8/14/2001)
  Comprehensive strike in the West Bank, Gaza, continued confrontations   (8/14/2001)

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