Confrontations in Jenin, Hamas refuses announcing a new truce
Palestine-Israel, Military, 8/25/2003

Confrontations erupted between the Palestinian youths and the Israeli occupation forces which invaded the city of Jenin in the West Bank. The Palestinians attacked military vehicles and tanks which incurred in the city and roamed its streets.

The Israeli occupations forces started its military operation in Jenin following the attack in Jerusalem last Tuesday within an invasion which covered several cities in the West Bank.

Meantime, Israeli military sources reported that one Qassam missile was launched yesterday to the north of Gaza and blew up without casualties to the south of the coastal city of Asqalan. The sources explained that the missile was dropped at Zeikim coast, 3 Kilometers to the north of Gaza. The sources indicated that this is the first time when these missiles reach this range and that the caliber of this used missile is the highest of its kind.

Commenting on Israel's rejection to a proposal from the Palestinian government to ceasing fire, one of the Hamas leading figures Abdul Aziz al-Ranteisi said that the movement does not think of a new truce and that Israel should pay a heavy price for its crimes." Al-Ranteisi explained that Hamas is determined to liberate Palestine and end the occupation and that any Zionist escalations against the Palestinian people will be countered by a similar escalation by the Hamas movement."

Al-Ranteisi stressed that Hamas was not briefed on the truce offer proposed by the Palestinian Authority, noting that "there no way of talking about a thing as such." He indicated that "the movement responded to the call of the Arab states and the Palestinian Authority and abided by the previous truce which was terminated by Israel in refusing to release the detainees and then assassinating political leaders like Ismael Abu Shanab."

Earlier in the day, the spokesman for the Israeli government Ave Bazner said that Israel refused yesterday the Palestinian proposal to stop fire and is persistent to its demand to dismantle the Palestinian resistance groups as a precondition to resume the peace process.

Bazner described the new Palestinian truce as "not serious," considering that the existence of the Palestinian groups prevents an real agreement to cease fire.

The proposed truce -- according to Palestinian sources -- included withdrawal of the Israeli occupation forces from the Palestinian areas, stopping assassination of Palestinian group leaders.

The Palestinian authority, however, said that implementing its security plan to prevent attacks on Israel is linked to Israel's halting of its military operations in the Palestinian territories.

Meantime, A Palestinian security source said that the Palestinian security departments continued yesterday its campaign to confiscate unlicensed weapons and to block tunnels to the south of Gaza as an implementation of the measures taken by the government.

The official indicated that the campaign started on Saturday by blocking three tunnels which were -- according to the Israeli allegations -- used to smuggle weapons to the south of Gaza. Several weapons traders were detained yesterday and a fourth tunnel was blocked and the campaign is still continuous.

Witnesses in Rafah to the south of Gaza said that the Palestinian police broke into houses believed to have hidden entrances of tunnels extended under the borders and fall under Israel's control to the Egyptian territories.

Palestinian Minister of State for Security Affairs Mohammad Dahlan said that the Palestinian police started a campaign covering several security measures to restore back law and order in Gaza.

Previous Stories:
  Israel kills one Palestinian, wounds two; Palestinian missiles at Israeli settlements   (8/23/2003)
  Okaz: Sheikh Yassin vows revenge for killing Abu Shanab   (8/23/2003)
  Al-Qaddoumi: resistance is the only option   (8/22/2003)
  Israel assassinates Ismael Abu Shanab; Hamas: no use for truce   (8/22/2003)

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