US looms to ending Zinni's mission, 8 Palestinians killed, 64 detained by Israelis
Palestine-Israel, Politics, 12/15/2001

At the time when the US indicated the possibility of terminating the mission of its special envoy to the region Gen.. Anthony Zinni, the Israeli F 16 and Apatchi planes on Friday continued bombarding the Palestinian cities, towns and villages in the West Bank and Gaza for the third running days at a time when Israeli forces broke into several Palestinian areas inflecting more destruction and killing.

Friday's attacks by the Israeli forces against the Palestinians resulted in killing 8, wounding scores and detaining more than 64 and destroying 32 houses, a Palestinian headquarters and breaking into 14 Palestinian positions in various Palestinian areas.

The commander of the Israeli forces in the West Bank Brig Gerson Yitzhak said that Israel will continue its operations and acts of arrest against the Palestinians and will deprive them of their arms so as to carry out its set aims in the Palestinian territories.

At the political level, the US delegate Anthony Zinni met with the Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon and reviewed with him developments concerning the security condition in the occupied territories.

An official at the US state department said that Zinni will announce new thoughts concerning coming steps in the framework of his current mission between Israel and the Palestinians.

The White House, on the other hand, indicated the possibility of summoning on Gen. Zinni as his mission has been stumbled.

News reports quoted the spokesman for the White House Ary Flisher that Zinni was sent to the region to be useful but he will not stay there for ever.

For his part the US under secretary of state Richard Armitaj said in an interview with the NBC TV said he prefers at the meantime not to disclose the content of talks between Sharon and Zinni which he described as secret.

Armitaj stressed that the US will continue to deal with Arafat rejecting to speculate what will happen in the future.

In London, a spokesman for the foreign office said that Arafat is the chairman of the Palestinian Authority and Israel has to negotiate with him at the proper time.

The Israeli prime minister Shimon Peres on Friday expressed his conviction that the campaign launched by Sharon at Arafat might lead to not what Sharon expects and rather strengthens Arafat's position.

Peres warned against any attempt to exile Arafat because that will threaten Israel's relations with certain countries.

Previous Stories:
  UN report outlines long-term effects of Israeli closure of Palestinian territories   (12/14/2001)
  Israel severs contacts with Arafat, five Palestinians killed, 70 wounded   (12/14/2001)
  Jerusalem committee warns against an Israel plan to demolish al-Aqsa mosque   (12/13/2001)

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