Church of Nativity evacuees to leave for Cyprus, Israel prepares incursion in Rafah, attacking Gaza
Palestine-Israel, Military, 5/10/2002

The Italian News Agency said on Thursday, quoting western diplomatic sources in Rome that the 13 Palestinians who are besieged in the church of nativity in Bethlehem and are considered by Israel as dangerous will leave today evening the Nativity church for Cyprus and from their they will be distributed on several European countries including Canada.

Meantime, Israel has announced the state of emergency in the army and summoned its army reserve forces in preparation to invade Gaza as an implementation to the decision taken by the mini Israeli Cabinet in its Wednesday's meeting chaired by the prime minister Ariel Sharon.

Reinforced by tanks, the Israeli forces incurred for hundreds of meters into Rafah at a time when members of the "Temple" group tried to break into al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem.

Once again the White House called on Israel, in a statement by its spokesman, not to ignore its part of responsibility to preserve peace in the region and to work within a peace- vision policy.

This call is made while Israel is preparing to launch a new aggression against the Palestinians in Gaza.

Arafat's visor Nabil Abu Rudinah said intensive contacts that have been made by the Palestinian authority with Arab and international sides especially with the US in order to halt the nearby Israeli aggression in Gaza.

Abu Rudinah said "the Palestinian side is calling on the international community to interfere immediately in order to protect the Palestinians from the war launched by Israel against the Palestinians."

The EU-ME special envoy Angels Moratinos said that the chairman of the Palestinian authority Yasser Arafat informed him that the Palestinian security departments arrested 15 persons in Gaza in order to investigate with them regarding the "martyrdom" operation took place in Israel last Tuesday.

After his meeting with Arafat in Gaza on Thursday, Moratinos indicated that the chairman of the Palestinian authority explained that the security departments will continue investigations to arrest every one having links to that operation. Sources at the Hamas movement said the Palestinian police has so far arrested 16 members of the movement after claiming responsibility for the operation.

The honorary president for the Palestinian Red Crescent Fatehi Arafat said that "in Jenin camp only there are 2000 missing, 200 killed in Nablus and more than 5000 who are exposed to ugliest sorts of tortures in the Israeli detention camps and also 78 Palestinian ambulances destroyed by the Israeli army." Fatehi Arafat's statements were made in a press conference he held on Thursday.

The Israeli forces arrested Mu'ammar Shahrour, an activist in the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas in Toulkarem camp.

Eye- witnesses said the Israeli forces besieged Shahrour's house and threatened him to kill his mother and sister unless he surrendered, while an Israeli military helicopter flew over the house and opened fire around it to force him getting out.

Previous Stories:
  Israel bombards Toulkarem; Arafat orders ban; news of replacing Arafat   (5/9/2002)
  UN General Assembly condemned assaults by Israeli occupying forces against the Palestinian people   (5/9/2002)
  Asked by Assembly, UN Secretariat will report on Jenin, other Palestinian   (5/9/2002)
  Jewish Rabbi: Israel a state against God!   (5/9/2002)
  Israel freezes Bethlehem agreement for lack a host for the expelled Palestinians   (5/8/2002)
  Martyrdom operation kills 15 Israelis, wounded 57, Sharon cuts visit to US   (5/8/2002)
  $ 2 billion, the needs of the Palestinians after the invasion   (5/4/2002)

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