Israeli forces detained 19 Palestinians in nighttime raids in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, the military said Friday, hours after a blast in Gaza killed a senior Fatah leader and another associate. According to Palestinian sources, a third man traveling in the car was critically injured in the explosion.
For his part, Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat resolved a two-day internal standoff, meeting late Thursday with Jibril Rajoub, who agreed to step down as commander of Preventive Security.
Arafat appointed Jenin governor Zuheir al-Manasra to replace Rajoub and offered the Jenin post to Rajoub. However, Rajoub did not accept this job, and officers in Preventive Security said they would not work under the new commander, raising speculation that the security force might be disbanded.
In the Gaza Strip, a blast blew apart a car and killed Jihad Amerin, 38, the Gaza leader of al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades, and Nael Namera, 27, a lieutenant in the PA preventive security forces. Palestinians blamed Israel for the bombing. Israeli security sources refused to comment on the incident, but based on the identity of the victims, it is possible that the explosion was an Israeli assassination, the Tel Aviv-based daily Haaretz reported.
Overnight, Israeli forces arrested a Palestinian in Gaza and 18 others in the West Bank. A military statement said they were "suspected of terrorist activity."
The military said three suspects were arrested in Jericho, the only one of the eight main Palestinian population centers that has been spared an Israeli incursion in the past two weeks. Israeli forces continue to hold the other centers, enforcing curfews.
On Friday morning, Israeli troops accompanied by tanks and bulldozers demolished two Palestinian police buildings in Khan Yunis, Gaza Strip, and left the area after the demolition was completed. (Albawaba.com)
© 2002 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
