Some 12 Palestinians killed, 150 wounded by Israel
Palestine-Israel, Politics, 3/1/2002

At a time when another Palestinian- Israeli security meeting held on Thursday morning between the Israelis and the Palestinian with an American participation at Erens crossing in Gaza failed, some 12 Palestinians were shot and other 150 wounded in breaking in operations carried out by the Israeli forces on Thursday, backed by Apache helicopters planes of Jenin city and Balatah camp in the West Bank.

Asked if "the military incursion by Israel into the Palestinians' refugee camps in Balata and Jenin has resurrected images of Sabra and Shatila in many people's minds in the Middle East. What is your position on the new trend of going into refugee camps?"

The US state department said yesterday that "the overall principles that we come at this from, first of all, we respect Israel's right to self-defense. There's no question about that."

The Israeli forces also broke into Arnakh village in Toulkarem district and Zabayat village near Areiha.

News reports said that the city of Jenin and Mukhayyam Balata which is besieged by the Israeli forces from all sides had witnessed violent clashes between the Palestinian Intifada youths who flocked to defend their houses and people, noting that the Israeli army is "planning to carry out a massacre" in Balata camp under the pretext of chasing the Palestinian resistance men.

According to identical sources, the clashes which were in their most on Thursday resulted in the wounding or killing of more 162 Palestinians. The killed Palestinians were 8 in Jenin and 4 at Balatah camps.

On Thursday evening the Israeli army helicopters raided by machine guns at Aida refugee camp in Bethlehem and at the adjoining Beit Jala in the west bank.

Palestinian security sources said that the electricity station at Aida camp was hit and electricity current was cut as a result.

The Monte Carlo radio correspondent in Jenin said that 15 Israeli tanks broke into the city at dawn and cordoned the city's province house, prevented the Palestinians from moving after imposing curfew. The correspondent added that the Israeli tanks incurred also in the city until Jenin camp and destroyed a position for the Palestinian police at al-Jaberyat area and killed five men of the Palestinian police while in their positions. Moreover tens of Palestinians were wounded by the Israeli tanks fire.

In Balatah camp near Nablus, Palestinian security sources said that the tanks which broke into the camp killed or wounded more than 65 Palestinians.

News reports said that the Israeli forces arrested in Jenin five children and their mother and took them to an unknown area, noting that the father of the children was killed few days earlier by the fire of the Israeli forces.

The BBC correspondent in the occupied Palestinian territories considered that Israel's breaking into Balatah camp and Jenin to the north of the West Bank proves that Israel has no peaceful intention, rather wants to carry out acts of violence and killing.

The BBC correspondent quoted Palestinian sources as saying that they feel astonished about Israel's breaking into the Palestinian areas at a time when it persists to hold security meetings between the two sides.

The Israeli forces, moreover arrested more than 10 Palestinians in Balatah camp and Jenin during the breaking in operation.

Meantime, groups of al-Aqsa martyrs, the military wing of the Fatah movement stressed on Thursday it will retaliate any Israeli operation in breaking the Palestinian cities and camps.

A statement issues by the commander and founder of the al-Aqsa martyrs group al-Haj Abi Ahmad in occupied Jerusalem that the leadership of the group gave instructions to all its members to be ready to answer all Israeli operations and that it will open fronts inside and outside "Palestine" in an unprecedented way.

The al-Aqsa martyrs group said it will attack Geilo settlement if the Israeli forces will not halt its aggressions against Balatah camp.

The secretary of the Fatah movement in the West Bank Marwan al-Barghouthi said that the Israeli occupation army will face resistance in all Palestinian areas in case it will not pull out within the few coming hours from jenin and Balatah camp.

On the other hand, Palestinian sources said that the Palestinian woman who committed the suicide operation at a check point between the West bank and Israel on Wednesday evening is Dareen Abi Eyshe from Nablus in the West bank and that she is 23 year old. Dareen is a university student at al-Najah university.

The Israeli radio said that the family of Dareen Abu Eyshe told journalists that their daughter left a message in which she explained that groups of al-Aqsa martyrs, the military wing of the Fatah movement agreed on its request to carry out a "martyrdom " operation.

Previous Stories:
  Israeli court postpones considering Azmi Beshara case   (2/28/2002)
  Four Palestinians killed, Israeli- Palestinian security meeting a failure   (2/28/2002)
  Seven Palestinians wounded, new incursion for Israeli forces in Gaza   (2/27/2002)

Please add a link on your webiste pointing to ArabicNews.com and bookmark ArabicNews.com & subscribe to our daily email news bulletin.

Search