Palestinian authority demands Israel to return stolen money, Palestinian blood on the separation wall
Palestine-Israel, Military, 2/27/2004

The Palestinian blood splashed on the sides of the wall built by Israel in the West Bank when three Palestinians were killed and other 86 injured by the occupation forces bullets during protests against building the wall in Badow town, while two others died and one soldier was killed in an operation which targeted Eres crossing in Gaza, claimed to be responsible by al-Aqsa group of the Fatah movement.

Meantime, The Palestinian authority yesterday warned against the "spread of disorder " following the theft operation carried out by the occupation forces on Wednesday against banks in Ramullah and called on Israel to bring back the stolen money it had got. Officials and banks tried to smooth worries by the public and the creditors in the occupied Palestinian lands as millions of USD were stolen from the accounts of individuals and establishments in an unprecedented operation against the sector of banks, the only sector which is operational in the Palestinian authority area.

In the main branch of the Arab Bank in the downtown of Ramullah where the bank and two other banks affiliate to Amman and Cairo Bank and to Palestine International bank were exposed to a theft operation carried out by the occupation forces, telephone calls never stopped. Israel announced it had confiscated between USD 7 to 9 million for 400 creditors as individuals and societies, said that these sums came from Syria, Iran and Hizbullah to feed what it described as " the Palestinian terrorism."

However, the Palestinian monetary authority, which strongly deplored the operation said in an official statement circulated to the media that this operation will only spread chaos. the secretary of the monetary Fund in the Palestinian authority, Amin Haddad, who immediately visited the branches of the damaged banks described the Israeli operation as "an armed theft operation."

He stressed that no accounts for creditors were damaged by what Israel had done and the money Israel got were confiscated from the banks treasure rather than from creditors accounts."

The Palestinian prime minister Ahmad Qurei' called for returning back the stolen money. He told journalists after meeting with the directors of banks working the Palestinian lands "this money is stolen and should be restored back." Qurei' added "Israel does not have the right to use the money of others." Worthy mentioning that there are some 22 branches of banks working in the Palestinians territories including Egyptian, Jordanian and Foreign banks. The board of Cairo- Amman Bank, which is a Jordanian bank said that the Jordanian foreign ministry phoned yesterday morning the bank's administration to know what had happened before Jordan will talk officially to the Israeli side to protest over what the Israeli army had done and to call for restoring back the money.

The spokesman for the Palestinian Red Crescent said that Mahmoud Rayan ( 25 year old) was killed by the Israeli bullets in confrontations in Badow village to the west of Jerusalem during an attempt made by the Palestinians to prevent the building of the apartheid separation wall. Zakaraya Mahmoud Eid ( 28 year old) was killed in the same site by the bullets of the Israeli army during the confrontation.

A doctor at Sheikh Zayed hospital in Ramullah said that he had examined the body of a third Paletinian called Zakaraya Dahouk and found out he was killed by bullets of " M-16 " machine gun.

The spokesman for the Red Crescent said that there are 26 persons who were injured by bullets and other 21 by rubber bullets, and there are 60 persons hit by tear gas. Thereby the three Palestinians are the first three victims of the Palestinians in the anti- wall demonstrations. The three men were killed after the end of the sessions of the International Court of Justice in the Hague in considering the legality of the wall.

Previous Stories:
  Beshara and the Israeli wall   (2/26/2004)
  Rafah crossing was closed, detention in the West Bank; Sharon escalates criticism against Qurei' government   (2/25/2004)
  Arafat: Separation wall bars establishment of Palestinian state   (2/24/2004)
  Eight Israelis killed, 60 wounded in a Palestinian operation in Jerusalem   (2/23/2004)
  Two Palestinians killed, Washington accuses Palestinians of obstructing the Roadmap   (2/21/2004)
  Two Palestinian houses demolished, One Palestinian expelled from west bank; Hamas: no inter-fighting will take place   (2/20/2004)

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