Posted on 03/07/2002 9:23:19 PM PST by kattracks
GAZA (Reuters) - Israeli forces killed a top Palestinian commander in a fierce new military offensive on Friday after a Palestinian gunman went on a shooting rampage in a Jewish settlement.
The violence, in which five Israelis at the settlement and 15 Palestinians were killed, added urgency to a new U.S. peace drive under which President Bush said he was sending Middle East envoy Anthony Zinni to the region to seek a truce.
"I am deeply concerned about the tragic loss of life and escalating violence in the Middle East," Bush said in Washington Thursday. "There are no assurances (of success). That's not going to prevent our government from trying."
Major-General Ahmed Mefrej, chief of Palestinian National Security Forces in the southern Gaza Strip, was the most senior Palestinian commander shot dead in 17 months of bloodshed.
Mefrej was shot in the chest in Khuza'a in southern Gaza after going there to defend the village against troops who moved in overnight and battled Palestinian gunman, colleagues said.
"His martyrdom is a great loss for Palestinians," said Major-General Abdel-Razek al-Majaydeh, the Palestinian public security chief in Gaza, accusing the army of a massacre.
The Palestinian Authority issued a statement hailing Mefrej and said "a number of his officers and soldiers were also martyred during a noble battle."
At least one other member of the Palestinian National Security Forces was among eight other Palestinians who were also killed in Khuza'a.
Israeli soldiers went from house to house in an apparent search for militants and arms, as they have in recent raids into refugee camps Israel regards as "bastions of terror."
Four Palestinians were also killed in an attack by Israeli naval gunboats on a Palestinian police station in northern Gaza Strip and two Palestinians were killed in heavy fighting around biblical Bethlehem, hospital officials said.
TROOPS POUR INTO BETHLEHEM
Troops and tanks backed by helicopters poured from two directions into Bethlehem, the traditional birthplace of Jesus, and entered neighboring Beit Jala and the nearby Aida and Deheisheh refugee camps.
"The forces took over wide areas in (Bethlehem and Beit Jala)," the army said in a statement early Friday. "House-to-house searches are under way for terrorists, munitions and terrorist infrastructure."
Shortly before the latest Israeli attacks overnight, a Palestinian gunman infiltrated Gaza's heavily guarded Atzmona settlement late Thursday, killing five students in an academy that prepares for them for induction in the army.
More than 20 people were wounded before he was shot dead. The militant Islamic group Hamas claimed responsibility for the attack in a phone call to Reuters.
One settler said the gunman began shooting after breaking through a fence.
"He opened fire on the students...We heard about six explosions from grenades," the settler told Israel Radio. "The place itself is destroyed."
The new violence followed attacks in which at least 12 Palestinians were killed Thursday. At least 987 Palestinians and 318 Israelis have now been killed in 17 months of conflict.
Fighting that erupted when Palestinians began an uprising against Israeli occupation in September 2000 has reached a new level of ferocity this week, pushing peacemaking to the sidelines and alarming world leaders.
Israel's military campaign has moved up a gear after a wave of Palestinian attacks and pledges by Prime Minister Ariel Sharon to "beat" the Palestinians until they sue for peace.
BUSH CRITICIZES BOTH SIDES
Under mounting pressure to step up the U.S. role in the Middle East and fill a peacemaking void, Bush made his surprise announcement that Zinni would return to the region next week.
Zinni has made two trips to the Middle East, the last one ending on January 7 as violence surged. Bush had declined to send him back since, apparently judging that the two sides were not ready for any fresh peace effort.
Bush urged the Palestinians to halt attacks on Israel, but also called on Sharon to calm tensions.
"I...call upon Chairman (Palestinian President Yasser) Arafat to make maximum effort to end terrorism against Israel, which undermines the prospects for peace," he said.
"I'm counting on all parties in the region -- Prime Minister Sharon included -- to do everything they can to make these efforts a success."
Sharon, who is under growing political pressure in Israel over the Palestinian uprising, said in a statement he welcomed Zinni's return and his efforts "to end the (Palestinian) violence, terror and incitement."
In a separate statement, Sharon blamed Arafat for the violence but said: "Israel is not waging a war and has not declared war on the Palestinians...My aim was and remains to reach a cease-fire and negotiations for an agreement."
Ahmed Abdel-Rahman, an aide to Arafat, said Zinni's return "is an American recognition of the failure of Sharon's military solution to make the Palestinian people kneel to his mad ambitions."
May G-d be with Israel.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.