Posted on 04/04/2002 9:14:45 AM PST by truthandlife
Shooting erupted near the traditional birthplace of Jesus in Bethlehem and Israeli tanks plowed into the West Bank's biggest city Thursday as Israel vowed to pursue an offensive that has alarmed the world.
Three explosions and heavy machinegun fire echoed around Bethlehem's Church of the Nativity, on the site where Christ was said to have been born, but Israel denied it was trying to storm the church to force out some 200 Palestinians holed up inside.
Israeli armor thrust toward the heart of Nablus, the biggest West Bank town, meeting heavy resistance, and tanks shelled a nearby refugee camp, witnesses said. Troops also fought running battles in the northern city of Jenin.
The Israeli offensive launched last Friday after a Palestinian suicide bomber killed 26 Israelis has enraged Arabs and provoked deep concern around the world that Middle East violence may be sliding out of control. Israel's closest ally, the United States, has apparently been reluctant to intervene.
Two top European Union (news - web sites) envoys arrived in Israel on an urgent mission to press for a cease-fire.
But Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon (news - web sites) appeared to slam the door to their meeting Palestinian President Yasser Arafat (news - web sites), besieged at his West Bank headquarters since Friday, and said Israel's military drive to uproot "terror" would continue.
EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana and Spanish Foreign Minister Josep Pique were due to meet Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres and Defense Minister Binyamin Ben Eliezer as well as international peace mediators Thursday, diplomats said.
"The decision is that (Arafat) will stay in the place where he is and he will be isolated," Sharon told reporters after a late-night meeting of his security cabinet.
NO TALKS WITHOUT QUIET
Sharon said peace talks with Palestinians would resume only "when there will be a full cessation of terror, hostilities and incitement."
He also accused Syria and Iran of being responsible for recent cross-border attacks by Lebanese Hizbollah guerrillas and threatened to take "all actions" required to prevent them.
Syrian troops took up new positions in eastern Lebanon on Thursday in what diplomats saw as an attempt to lessen direct confrontation with Israel, which last year hit Syrian troops twice in Lebanon in retaliation for Hizbollah attacks.
"We saw that Syria is giving support and backing to what is going on," Sharon said during a visit to the Northern Command headquarters, a day after a soldier was seriously wounded in a Hizbollah attack on an Israeli border position.
Sharon was due to meet U.S. Middle East envoy Anthony Zinni later in the day and Israeli political sources said the Israeli leader might give Zinni the go-ahead to meet Arafat.
Palestinian officials said the EU envoys, dispatched after an emergency meeting of EU foreign ministers, must be granted access to Arafat, or no other Palestinians would meet them.
Palestinians say Sharon's offensive aims to oust or kill Arafat, destroy his Palestinian Authority (news - web sites), scrap interim peace deals signed since 1993 and block their hopes of independence. Israel says it will not harm the Palestinian leader.
WEST BANK BATTLES
In the Bethlehem clash, Palestinian officials quoted men inside the Church of the Nativity, one of Christianity's holiest sites, as saying Israeli forces had blown the back door off, but the army denied the report.
A Reuters correspondent about 500 meters (yards) from the church heard gunfire and loud explosions, but could not say what caused the blasts or where the firing was aimed.
An Israeli army spokeswoman said: "Israeli soldiers did not fire any weapons or cause any explosions or storm the church."
Bethlehem resembled a ghost town, where fearful residents peeked from their windows at Israeli tanks and armored vehicles lurking in streets littered with debris and mangled cars.
Peter Qumri, director of a hospital in the nearby town of Beit Jala, said Samir Salman, 45, had been shot dead as he crossed Manger Square on his way to the Church of the Nativity Thursday. There was no word on who had shot him.
Qumri said ambulance workers had retrieved seven bodies since troops stormed into Bethlehem Tuesday, adding that he believed at least five more corpses remained to be collected.
Heavy fighting continued in Nablus after Israel sent more than 100 tanks tearing into the Palestinian nationalist stronghold overnight. Palestinian hospital officials said three people had been killed and at least seven wounded there.
Witnesses said tanks had reached the Palestinian Authority's offices in the city and troops were fighting their way toward the Casbah district, blocked by makeshift barricades.
Witnesses in Jenin said Israeli tanks were shelling a nearby refugee camp. Medical workers said three Palestinians had been killed, including a Red Crescent volunteer who was trying to collect two bodies.
In Hebron, Palestinian sources said a firefight had erupted when an Israeli undercover unit tried to seize two wanted Palestinians. One Israeli was killed and the two Palestinians were wounded. The army said it was checking the report.
At least 1,160 Palestinians and 406 Israelis have been killed in an 18-month-old Palestinian revolt against occupation.
no ADL equivalent for Aaaaaarabs?
no risk involved?
God favors the seed of Isaac, and despises the seed of Ishamael?
A desire to be in the winning team?
Racism?
But, when I see a Jewish surnamed writer I fear pretty much the same liberal bias...ie...being soft on the Pali terrs. There are exceptions like Krauthammer and a few others.
I think all articles on this subject should be written by Right Wing Christian Conservatives....then I feel relatively assured that their hawkish views on Israel will dovetail with mine.
Don't forget, it is the Labor/left in Israel holding back Sharon and his generals. They have openly threatened to break the coalition with Likud if he goes too far in their minds....which of course wouldn't be far enough in my mind. LOL
Um, don't you need to have a country to be occupied?
Thanks for the warning on this Reuters "newsitorial".
If not, why not?
Gee, I guess it's because EVERY article we read by a Pali, ends up being full of a bunch of LIES! If I had a buck for every LIE that I've heard from the Pales since the start of the Oslo War, I could retire in style right now!
Not that there's anything wrong with that! Better than being with self-immolating losers, IMHO.
Amen! Lest also we forget (which the New Media would like us to) these were the same people who were in the streets dancing after 911!
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