Sharon's government continues escalation, 200 million Shekels for settlement
Palestine-Israel, Politics, 8/22/2001

While the UN Security Council on Tuesday held a session at a Palestinian and Islamic request to discuss conditions in the occupied Palestinian territories, the Israeli occupation forces continued their aggressions against the unarmed Palestinians and opened its tanks fire at the Palestinian villages and towns.

The Israeli army on Tuesday broke into Shweikah village to the east of Toulkarem and arrested five citizens.

Meantime, an explosion took place inside a car in the downtown of Jerusalem over which groups al-Odeh ( return) ( vanguards of the people's army) claimed responsibility. It said that group of martyrs Samir Abi Zeid carried out this operation which resulted in destroying several Israeli cars and properties and that this attack was in retaliation to the Israeli policy of killing and assassination carried out by the Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon against the Palestinian people.

The Palestinian Intifada teenagers on Tuesday blew off an explosion when an Israeli patrol was passing near " Ghafin" settlement and another settlement near " Batishar" settlement in Nablus.

The Israeli radio said that an armored vehicle for the Israeli army was on Tuesday exposed to intensive fire near Beit Fourin village while another Israeli position was exposed to the fire of the Palestinians in Beitonia.

Meantime and in a new step to Judaize the occupied city of Jerusalem the mini Israeli Cabinet on Tuesday, chaired by Ariel Sharon ratified a decision provided for allocating 200 million Israeli shekels to expand settlement in Jerusalem.

The Israeli minister of the Infrastructure Ivigdore Liberman called on Sharon to settle the conflict with the Palestinians by military means without hesitation. Liberman claimed that " political solution with the Palestinian will be futile."

Sharon admitted that occupying " the Orient House" is a measure aims at consolidating the Israeli control on the city and ending activities of the Palestinian Authorities in it.

At the Palestinian level, the chairman of the Palestinian Authority Yasser Arafat said that he is ready to meet with the Israeli foreign minister Shimon Peres under a German supervision in order to reach what he called a " truce" between the Palestinian and Israeli sides. He called for immediate implementation of Mitchell plan which calls for a cease fire in preparation for the return back of the two sides to the table of negotiations.

On the other hand, the US President George Bush has ruled out the US interference in the current conditions between Israel and the Palestinians before putting an end to what he called the cycle of violence. Bush defended his policy towards the ME region. He said he had recently made a telephone call with Sharon and that the US secretary of State Colin Powell continued his contacts with the Israelis and the Palestinians.

He renewed his called to halt what he called violence before starting contacts to resume negotiations.

Previous Stories:
  One Palestinian, his two children killed by Israeli missiles   (8/21/2001)
  Al-Ghajar village citizens demonstrate in protest of Israeli practices   (8/21/2001)
  Two Palestinians killed by Israeli bullets   (8/20/2001)

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