Sharon tightens siege on Palestinians
Palestine-Israel, Military, 4/22/2002

As the claimed Israeli withdrawal from the cities of Ramullah and Nablus has become just a redeployment of the Israeli forces to impose a tightened siege on it and the areas of the West Bank to closed military zones, the Israeli forces continued their attacks against the unarmed Palestinians in acts of killing, detention and breaking in.

News reports from the occupied Palestinian territories said that 18 Palestinians were wounded by the bullets of the Israeli forces during their incursion in Rafah area in Gaza. Eye- witnesses said that Israeli tanks and bulldozers escorted by heavy military vehicles incurred for more than 100 meters into the territories close from the border strip with Egypt and carried out large land leveling operations. Four Palestinian children were wounded by the Israeli heavy machine guns bullets at Salah eddine gate and two Palestinian citizens in Khan Younis were hit by Israeli tanks shells. In Toulkarem, the Palestinian youth Naser badran was killed while two children were wounded in Jenin when a booby trapped body went off as the citizens were taking corpses from under the ruins of their houses.

Two citizens were wounded, one in a very critical health condition, when a group of 20 Israeli settlers broke into Oreif village farms near Nablus and opened fire randomly on the Palestinians. One Israeli settler was strongly wounded during confrontations between the people of Balata camp near Nablus and tens of Israeli settlers who broke into the camp and the city of Nablus from several axes trying to reach prophet "Youssef tomb" area and found a settlement there.

Meantime, the Israeli occupation forces tightened its siege around the cities of Nablus and Ramullah after it had redeployed its forces around the two cities and the adjoining areas.

The Israeli forces closed all roads and crossing leading to it while armored forces are still besieging the establishments of the Palestinian Authority in Ramullah.

In the same context, the Israeli occupation forces opened its heavy machine gun fire in the surrounding of the Nativity church in Bethlehem amid a tightened siege and the besieged persons said that waters and food items were completely consumed. They appealed to the international community to rescue them while an Israeli military spokesman said that the army will not withdraw from Bethlehem, before the besieged Palestinians surrender themselves and are arrested.

Meantime, the Israeli army intercepted a demonstration for Christian and Muslim men of religion and prevented them from arriving to the church as the demonstrators wanted to perform prayers in its square, calling on the Israeli army to lift the siege and guarantee freedom for the besieged.

The Israeli forces also arrested 15 Palestinians from Qalyndia camp for the Palestinian refugees and carried out a vast inspection campaign into the houses of the camp and also arrested one Palestinian from Shafa Amro village of the territories of 1948.

Yesterday, US Secretary of state Colin Powell told ABC news about the condition of the Jenin camp destroyed by Israel "It's very troubling, and I don't know what we'll find. Assistant Secretary of State Bill Burns went in for three hours on Friday, and his report to me was disturbing -- loss of life, collapsed buildings, the potential for disease. "

Previous Stories:
  Security Council votes to send fact-finding team to Jenin   (4/20/2002)
  Multinational force can help restore trust between Israelis, Palestinians, UN envoy says   (4/20/2002)
  Some 12 Palestinians killed Friday; Some 400 Jenin victims   (4/20/2002)
  US continues obstruction of effective international law; multinational force concept made meaningless   (4/19/2002)
  UNESCO reveals Israeli crimes against Palestinian antiquities   (4/18/2002)
  Israeli forces incurred into Toulkarem, continue detention campaigns   (4/17/2002)
  Israeli forces continue incursions, corpses in Ramullah, evidences of Sharon's crimes   (4/16/2002)

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