Security meeting failure between the Israelis, the Palestinians
The Palestinian- Israeli security meeting which was held on Wednesday evening in the framework to discuss the plan of Israel's Defense Minister Benyamin Ben Eliezer, known as "Gaza First" failed because Israel had laid new conditions and then refused to pullout from Bethlehem after Gaza according to the said plan.
The "Gaza First" would start by solving problems with the Palestinians first in Gaza, and then other Palestinian areas follow.
One of the Hamas leaders, Ismael Abu Shanab, rejected the plan saying it perpetuates occupation and aims at eliminating the resistance. One of the Hamas leaders, Ismael Haneyah, said that the "aim of this plan is to decieve and mislead, aiming at ending occupation, confusing the Palestinian arena and implant sedition." He stressed continued resistance until occupation is eliminated.
Meantime, the Israeli forces continued their aggressions against the Palestinian people and on Thursday broke into Serra city near Nablus and certain quarters in Gaza and nearby villages, Lahia town in Gaza for the second day and areas in Bethlehem and Beit Jala. This resulted in killing one Palestinians, wounding many others and demolishing four Palestinian houses. Two were in Bethlehem area and the other two in Beit Jala.
The Israeli radio said that reinforced Israeli forces arrived in the area and started a mopping up operation after it had received information on the possibility of attack operations against the Israeli settlers in this area.
Meantime, the chairman of the Palestinian delegation Saeb Oreikat, who is holding talks with the American administration in Washington, rejected the American calls which demand the removal of the chairman of the Palestinian Authority Yasser Arafat from his office.
In a press conference held following the first round of talks, Oreikat said that these calls are rejected, stressing that this matter ( concerning Arafat) is a merely a Palestinian issue.
Oreikat stressed that the Israelis are obstructing the efforts made by the Palestinian Authority to strengthen security, the elections and reforms. He stressed hat Israel's pullout from the West Bank, Gaza and Jerusalem is the only means for attaining peace in the region and that the Palestinians will not accept the Israeli occupation, regardless to conditions. Replying comments made by the US defense secretary Donald Rumsfeld concerning the Israeli settlements in the Palestinian territories which Rumsfeld considered as not constituting obstacles before peace, Oreikat stressed that this statement is in contradiction to statements made by the US President George Bush.
Meantime, the Israeli forces continued their aggressions against the Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank. Palestinian sources said Israeli military personnel were summoned to the surrounding of Beit Lahia in an attempt to siege it and tightened its occupation started already since Wednesday.
The Israeli radio said that violent clashes took place between Israeli military forces that arrived to the surrounding of Beit Lahia and this resulted in killing the Palestinian Adel Ghubn and wounding other four.
Palestinian sources said the Israeli forces closed all roads leading to Beit Lahia and prevented ambulances of the Red cross and Red Crescent from providing aid to the Palestinians wounded by the Israeli soldiers fire.