Posted on 02/10/2003 7:59:08 PM PST by yonif
Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz ordered the Israel Defense Forces to impose a complete closure on all Palestinian areas in the territories Monday evening due to serious warnings of attempts to carry out terror attacks.
The closure is expected to remain in place through Friday, with the Palestinians prohibited from entering Israeli territory until further notice.
Mofaz's decision comes in direct contrast to suggestions made Sunday that would have eased restrictions on Palestinians prior to Id al-Adha, the Muslim Feast of the Sacrifice, which begins Tuesday.
Earlier Monday, the IDF arrested four would-be terrorists in the West Bank and one in the Gaza Strip; one of them was carrying a 20-kilogram explosive device. In addition, two Palestinians, including a senior member of the militant Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine were killed during clashes with Israeli security forces.
The IDF reported that Islamic groups have intensified their efforts to carry out terror attacks this week.
Perhaps the most potentially serious attack was the one thwarted in the West Bank city of Ramallah, where the IDF arrested a Hamas suicide bomber and discovered a suitcase containing a 20-kilogram bomb that was ready to be detonated, apparently in a terror attack in Jerusalem. Sappers detonated the device safely.
Following the Ramallah capture, police lowered the security alert that was in place since early Monday morning. Security at the entrances to the city had been heightened and all cars underwent stringent checks.
IDF soldiers also arrested two suspected terrorists in Nablus and Kfar Yamoun near Jenin, who are believed to have been planning to carry out terror attacks in Israel.
In the Gaza Strip, troops arrested a Palestinian armed with fragmentation grenades as he was on his way to carrying out an attack. A few hours later, soldiers shot dead a Palestinian terrorist in the same location. Three explosive devices were found on his body.
Early Monday morning, an explosive device went off close to a patrol of IDF soldiers near the Gaza Strip city of Rafah. No injuries were reported.
PFLP leader killed An IDF source said Imad al-Mabruk, 25, was shot dead while trying to escape arrest in Ein Beit Elma refugee camp near the West Bank city of Nablus.
Palestinian security officials said Mabruk belonged to the armed wing of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine and that Israeli special forces had raided his hideout in the camp.
"He was involved in terrorist attacks and made bombs," the Israeli military source said. "He fled arrest and was shot and killed after he ignored orders to stop."
A PFLP leader in the Nablus area called the killing an "assassination" and vowed to retaliate.
Terrorist's home razed In the West Bank village of Sawarha, security forces early Monday morning demolished the home of Ramadan Eid Mashara, who orchestrated the June 2002 suicide bombing at Jerusalem's Pat junction, in which 19 people were killed and 50 injured.
An IDF spokesman said that Mashara is a known Hamas terrorist and that the demolition of his home is part of Israel's ongoing war against terrorism and the Palestinian terror infrastructure.
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