Israeli forces incurred into Bethlehem tightened siege
Palestine-Israel, Military, 3/18/2002

While the Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon has threatened that his forces will continue its war against the Palestinians, even if this government will be at the table of negotiations, the Israeli tanks incurred in the downtown of Bethlehem. One Palestinian was killed and many others wounded during the incursion.

Meantime the Israeli Comandos kidnapped by helicopters Palestinians on the outskirts of Delfiet and arrested two others from Bani Zeid village in Ramullah. One Israeli settler was killed and armed settlers killed one Palestinian youth near Ramullah. All these Israeli acts were carried out under a tightened siege to the Palestinian cities and villages.

In Gaza, three Palestinians were killed by the tanks shells and their corpses were converted into remains. Two of them were identified: Nahid Mutlaq Issa ( 23 year old) and Ismael Hamdan ( 22 year old). The Palestinian female child Sheima's Saeed Hamad ( 11 year old) was killed by the Israeli occupation bullets in Rafah, while the Israeli tanks and bulldozers demolished several Palestinian houses on the road leading to Karne Natsareim settlement.

The Palestinians retaliated by a suicide operation in Jerusalem and another one in Kafer Saba near Tel Aviv. The first resulted in wounding nine Israelis and the second killing one and wounding 15 others.

A statement by the Islamic Jihad organization said that the person who carried out the Jerusalem operation in the French Hill area, detonated himself near an Israeli coach and his name was not disclosed for security reasons. The statement added that this operation comes in retaliation to the Israeli continued crimes and to confirm that the "heroes of the Palestinian Intifada are able to penetrate all Zionist barriers and measures."

Al-Jihad said that number of the Israelis hit by the operation totaled 22.

News reports said that the executor of "Kfar Saba" operation opened intensive fire at the Israeli settlers and police before he was shot dead by the Israeli police bullet.

The Democratic Front For the Liberation of Palestine said that its armed groups inflected human casualties upon intercepting an Israeli armored vehicle on the road between Jenya Safout village and Qalqilya and the exchange of fire with it for 15 minutes.

Meantime, the Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon threatened to continue military operations in all Palestinian areas even if his government will be at the table of negotiations with the Palestinians at an American supervision. He stressed that he will not negotiate with the Palestinians on any agreement before total halting of cease fire and the full implementation of the Tenet plan, as he claimed. Sharon explained that the aim of the negotiations his foreign minister Shimon Peres is making with the Palestinian side is limited to reach, as soon as possible, what he called the cease fire.

Previous Stories:
  Partial withdrawal for Israeli forces, 8 Palestinians killed by Israel   (3/16/2002)
  3 Israeli soldiers killed in tanks explosion, 12 Palestinians assassinated by Israelis   (3/15/2002)
  Seven persons killed by Israel, including one Italian journalist   (3/14/2002)

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