A second Palestinian was killed in the northern West Bank town of Tubas during an Israeli raid which claimed the life of Hamas' military leader in Jenin. Nidal Abu Mohsen, 19, was shot dead after the Israeli army used him as a "human shield" to go into the house where the Jenin military chief for Hamas, Nasser Jarrar, was hiding, the family said, according to AFP.
They claimed the teenager was struck down by Israeli bullets in an exchange of fire between the Hamas chief and the army. The young man's uncle, Ali Daragameh said "his nephew was taken by the soldiers and was forced to go to Jarrar's house at gunpoint."
The army confirmed Abu Mohsen's death, saying he had been shot dead while trying to enter the house to negotiate with Jarrar. A second Palestinian was lightly wounded in the gun battle and the army arrested him before taking him to an Israeli hospital for treatment, the army added.
In Gaza on Thursday, Hamas leader Abdel Aziz Rantisi said the killing of Jarar, "will not pass without strong punishment."
Palestinian sources said Thursday that Israeli special forces had arrested a senior Hamas leader. According to the report, Israeli spacial forces entered the village of Beit Awa, south of the West Bank city of Hebron, in an overnight raid and arrested the man.
Talks
Israel is to release another 70 million shekels (15 million dollars) worth of frozen funds to the Palestinians early next week, said a spokesman for Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres. "An additional 70 million shekels will be transferred to the Palestinians at the start of the week, probably on Monday," foreign ministry spokeswoman Yaffa Ben Ari told AFP after a meeting between Peres and a Palestinian delegation.
Peres and minister without portfolio Danny Naveh met with top Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erakat to discuss a range of practical issues, including the freeing up of Palestinian funds, officials said.
The Palestinians raised objections to Israel's "Gaza First" proposal. They said under this plan Israel is liable to limit troop withdrawals to the Gaza Strip. No Palestinian is ready to accept this plan for fear Israel might not withdraw from cities occupied on the West Bank, the Palestinian negotiators said.
Peres replied that the rationale underlying the Israeli proposal is functional, rather than territorial. In Gaza, he said, the Palestinian security apparatus has not been damaged, and so Palestinian security members can take responsibility after an Israeli withdrawal.
"Israel is prepared to engage constructive [withdrawal] talks about any place in which the Palestinians can show that they can provide security," Peres said. Israel’s Defense Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer will be meeting with PA Security Advisor Minister Muhammad Dahlan and Interior Minister Abdel Razak al-Yahya to discuss the 'Gaza first' plan, Israel Radio reported.
During the Wednesday meeting, further measures to ease the plight of the Palestinians were reviewed, and plans were laid out to raise the number of available work permits for Palestinians, particularly those crossing from the Gaza Strip into Israel at what are known as the "industrial checkpoints" of Karni and Erez, Ben Ari said. Another meeting has been scheduled between the two delegations and was likely to take place within the next two days, Ben Ari said.
Meanwhile, Palestinian Finance Minister Salam Fayad said on Thursday a holding company had been formed to consolidate all Palestinian Authority funds and assets under a single umbrella. Fayad said in an interview with Reuters that Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat gave formal approval on Wednesday night to the establishment of the new Palestinian Investment Fund which would be under the finance minister's direct control.
Fayad said the new holding company would ensure transparency and accountability in Palestinian financial dealings. "If there is an asset of any kind which is either wholly or partially owned by or on behalf of the Palestinian Authority, if it is not in the fund, it will be illegal," Fayad said. (Albawaba.com)
© 2002 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
