Two Palestinians killed, one Palestinian home destroyed by Israelis
Palestine-Israel, Military, 2/15/2003

In the context of the continued Israeli escalation against the Palestinians, the Israeli forces yesterday detonated a tunnel along the border between Rafah and Egypt to the south of Gaza and this resulted in killing two Palestinians Ziad al-Shaer ( 24 year old and Muhammad Hamad Qashta ( 20 year old ).

Meantime, the Israeli forces broke into the city of Rafah backed by tanks and bulldozers which demolished and leveled vast areas of the arable lands while two Palestinians were wounded by the fire of the invading forces.

The Israeli forces also arrested 8 Palestinians including the official in the Islamic Jihad movement, Mahmoud Qlibi ( 24 year old), and blew up a house in Snereyah village near Qalqilya owned by Ibrahim Tounis, one of the activists of al-Aqsa group, under pretext that its owner resists the occupation.

On the other hand, the chairman of the Palestinian authority Yasser Arafat has announced his consent officially to appoint a prime minister following pressure made on him to make reform in the Palestinian Authority. Arafat said he had decided to appoint a prime minister and he will ask the Palestinian legislative council to take necessary measures to this effect.

For its part, the Hamas movement said it will not use al-Qassam missile unless the Israeli army will carry out invasions and aggressions against the Palestinian territories. One of the movement's key figures Abdul Aziz al-Ranteisi said that the movement decided not to use al-Qassam missiles unless Israeli attacks the Palestinian cities and lands.

On the Israeli side, the former Israeli defense minister Benyamin Ben Eliezer called on the Labor Party to a meeting for the Party's central committee to consider the possibility of the party's joining a governmental coalition under the chairmanship of the prime minister Ariel Sharon.

The Israeli radio said that member of the Israeli Knesset Sherry Weizman collected more than 300 signatures of members of the central committee in support of the call for the meeting of the central committee in this regard.

Ben Eliezer said that collecting these signatures necessitates convening a meeting for the said committee as soon as possible.

Previous Stories:
  News on Arafat's approval to appoint a prime minister; Israel arrests scores of Palestinians   (2/14/2003)
  Two Palestinians killed in Gaza; General Command claims responsibility for Bethlehem attack   (2/13/2003)
  Four Israeli soldiers wounded in a Palestinian operation, Israeli forces continue detention, destroying houses   (2/10/2003)
  Israeli TV: Sharon met with Abbas, Qrei   (2/8/2003)

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