Israel continued brutal massacres in Jenin, collective tombs for the Palestinians, Operation in Palestine claims 10 Israelis

The results of the terrorist attacks by Israel against Palestinian civilians started to surface gradually, when the Israeli army itself admitted it killed hundreds of Palestinians, news reports indicated Israeli preparations to continue its acts this time against Gaza despite the fact that the US secretary of state Colin Powell is in the Palestinian territories in a mission said to aim at suspending the Israeli military operations.

Meantime, the Israeli attacks against the Palestinians continued on Friday in the occupied Palestinian cities and a Palestinian retaliated by a new "suicide" operation carried out in Jerusalem by Nidal Daraghmeh from Jenin camp which the Israeli forces had demolished.

In detailed news, the commander of the Israeli forces which stormed into Jenin camp Brig. Ron Kethery said that the Israeli army killed 250 Palestinians during the confrontation in the camp, noting that Israel rejects an international committee to investigate the crimes committed, while the chairman of Jenin's municipality Walid Abu Mweis said that the Israeli army launched a detention campaign in Jenin that covered all citizens aging between 15- 50 year old and called via loudspeakers on all citizens to surrender.

In Beit Sahour near Bethlehem, Attallah al-Hayek was killed by the Israeli bullets and in al-Zahera city the Palestinian woman Basemah al-Kaffeyah was also shot by the Israelis. However, the situation in Nablus has worsened as there is no water and no electricity since several days, while the Israeli forces continue to bombard houses. News reports said that more 45 Palestinian corpses of 45 Palestinians under the ruins of the old part of Nablus, nevertheless the Israeli invading forces continued detention campaigns of hundreds of Palestinian youths.

In Bethlehem, an Israeli military spokesman admitted that the Israeli army opened fire at one monk in the convent adjoining the Nativity Church, while the besieged people inside the church extended an urgent call on the international community to interfere and get the Israeli army away from the church of which water was cut three days ago, while the situation of the wounded inside the church has become drastic.

The Israeli occupation forces prevented the Palestinians from performing prayers in al-Haram al-Sharif and deployed hundreds of soldiers to siege al-Aqsa mosque.

Despite all security measures in occupied Jerusalem, the Palestinian Nidal Daraghemah of al-Aqsa group carried out an operation resulted in killing 10 Israelis and wounding 70.

The police said that a Palestinian girl detonated herself while she was preparing to take the coach on line 23 in Jafa street, the main road in Jerusalem, while al-Aqsa group said the girl is from Jenin camp which was demolished by the Israeli forces. The US administration denounced the operation, considering that that Colin Powell is in the region to search for peace.

Meanwhile, an explosive went off in an Israeli military car in al-Dhesheih camp and bombs were thrown at the Israeli patrols in Hebron. A spokesman for the Israeli army admitted the killing of one Israeli officer Doutan Nahtoumi in Doura village near Hebron during the confrontation.

One Palestinian was killed during the clashes with the Israeli forces near al-Mintar crossing during which two Israeli soldiers were wounded while al-Quds groups of the Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility for the suicide operation near Beit Yahoun crossing carried out by Hazem Abu al-Qumboz, stressing that several Israeli soldiers were wounded or killed in this operation.

Politically, the US secretary of state Collin Powell said he did not get any certain reply from Ariel Sharon on the duration of the Israeli military attack in the West Bank.

In a joint press conference with Sharon, Powell warned against what he called the long- term strategic results of the attacks carried out by Israel during two weeks against the Palestinian cities and its impact on other Arab states in the Middle East.

Powell expressed his hope to finding a mean to reach an agreement on defining a date for halting the Israeli attacks and to return back to a track conducive to a peace settlement.

Powell said " we understand terrorism.. and we retaliated terrorism. He stressed the US stand in support of Israel by saying the USA knows that Israel has the right to answer what he described as terrorism. He continued that the question is how to proceed until after this answer.

He added that Jerusalem's operation ( Friday) reveals the extent for the need of the move of the international community to find a solution in the region. Sharon for his part, claimed he hopes to end his military attacks in the West Bank as soon as possible. Sharon also claimed that Israeli is launching a war against what he called the infrastructure of the Palestinian terrorism and hopes that this war will end quickly.

Powell said he will be meeting with Yasser Arafat. He added following his meeting with the Israeli foreign minister Shemon Peres " we will inform Arafat that Washington wants from him acts rather than statements in order to halt violence." Meantime, the Israeli foreign minister Shimon Peres said that the military operations will last for several days. He said that Powell did not ask for putting a limit for the isolation of Yasser Arafat.

The chairman of the Israeli intelligence Aharoun Zaefi said that the Israeli forces will break into Gaza in a way similar to what happened in the West Bank and that Israel is preparing for this braking in shortly.

The Israeli Consul in New York Alon bankyas said that the US is the best friend for Israel, rather it is the only friend.

At the Palestinian level, the Palestinian authority called on Powell to visit immediately Jenin camp to see by his own eyes the crimes and massacres committed by the Israeli occupation forces and also called on the UN to form an international investigation committee on these crimes. In a statement, the Palestinian authority said that the Palestinian people will sue Sharon and all war criminals in order to bring them before an international tribunal.

The Palestinian official in charge of the parliamentary issues said that the US administration is biased to Israel and has the same Israeli view points to continue the aggression against the Palestinian people.