Israel threatens to invade Gaza, 6 Palestinians shot, builds a settlement
Palestine-Israel, Military, 4/25/2002

The Israeli occupation forces on Wednesday continued its open war of destruction against the Palestinian people and on Wednesday broke into and incurred in several Palestinian areas, especially in Rafah. These Israeli acts resulted in killing 6 Palestinians and scores were left wounded, at a time when the Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon renewed his threats to reoccupy Gaza, paraing the massacres and acts of destruction carried out in the West bank.

The Israeli minister of communications Roby Revelen said that military operations will continue against the Palestinians regardless of any agreements or understanding concerning cease- fire, while the Israeli authorities started building a new residential quarters on an area of 40 hectares in Alqana settlement in the West Bank that includes 500 residential units.

In the political field the higher representative of the foreign policy at the European Union Javier Solana, accompanied by the EU- ME special envoy Moratinos arrived on Wednesday in Ramullah where they met with the chairman of the Palestinian authority Yasser Arafat, while well-informed Israeli sources at the government divan ruled out to have a meeting between each of Solana and Moratinos with Sharon, rather to meet with the Israeli foreign minister Shimon Peres and with defense minister Benjamin Bin Aliazer.

Palestinian security sources said that a group of Israeli tanks broke into the city of Rafah in Gaza and opened fire at the houses and this resulted in wounding several Palestinians.

The Palestinian sources said that the Israeli forces also broke into Deir al-Balah and Beit Hanoun and confiscated several houses there and converted them into a military barracks and leveled vast areas of the Palestinian territories in Wadi al- Salqa town.

Six Palestinians were shot by the Israeli bullets including a 14- year old boy in al-Ju'ba near nablus while other three Palestinians were killed in Jabalia to the north of Gaza.

An Israeli military force broke into Bani Naem village near Hebron and carried out a vast inspection campaign and assassinated Yaqoub al-Tareyra the local official for al-Aqsa group and Muhammad al-Tareyra the official in the Fatah movement.

The Israeli forces also arrested more than 20 Palestinians in al-Zahereyah, al-Esaweyah, Abu Deis and al-Ezareyah in al-Quds ( Jerusalem ) area and bani Naem in Hebron.

As for the Nativity Church an intensive fire was exchanged in the surrounding of the church in Bethlehem before resuming negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian authority. A Palestinian lawyer inside the church said in a telephone conversation with AFP that two of the besieged persons were wounded.

For his part, the Palestinian negotiator Imad al-Nitshe said that one Israeli soldier was wounded in the center for peace at the Nativity square in front of the church, where the negotiations were presumed to take place.

On Wednesday, Palestinian and Israeli negotiators started a second day of talks to find out a solution for the church which has been besieged since three weeks by the Israeli occupation forces.

The Palestinian negotiation team is composed of the chairman of Bethlehem municipality Hanna Nasser and Salah al-Na'mari, member of the Palestinian legislative council.

The Israeli foreign minister Shemon Peres said the israeli army will not withdraw from Bethlehem and Ramullah and will continue to be in the two said cities especially around the Nativity church and the headquarters of the Palestinian authority in Ramullah.

In statements he made in Valencia and quoted by the Israeli radio on Wednesday, Peres said that the Israeli army will deploy its forces in other Palestinian cities and areas during next week.

Previous Stories:
  Guardian report: Israel breached the Geneva conventions   (4/24/2002)
  Reporters Sans Frontieres on Israeli practices against journalists in Palestine   (4/24/2002)
  Israeli forces continue brutal operations of breaking in, detention, execution   (4/24/2002)
  Amnesty International delegates' visit to Jenin   (4/23/2002)
  Sharon tightens siege on Palestinians   (4/22/2002)
  UNESCO reveals Israeli crimes against Palestinian antiquities   (4/18/2002)

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