At the same time as the Israeli cabinet was meeting on Friday, Israeli troops were involved in heavy gunfire in and around Yasser Arafat's Ramallah offices, during which at least ten of the PA's personal guard were reportedly injured. At least five Palestinians were killed in Ramallah. One Israeli officer was killed during the exchange of fire with Palestinians. Three other soldiers reported injured.
Israeli tanks surrounded Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat’s West Bank compound in Ramallah early Friday, signaling the beginning of a wide-scale Israeli military operation. The incursion into Ramallah came hours after Arafat voiced support for a Mideast truce, but Israel criticized that as not going far enough.
Palestinians also reported that Israel bulldozers had destroyed the HQ's perimeter fence, and that tanks had blown a hole in the compound wall. Palestinian official said the building was on fire.
According to one report, Israeli troops have taken two buildings inside Arafat's Ramallah compound.
Earlier in the night, the Palestinians reported that large numbers of Israeli troops entered Ramallah. Palestinian sources reported that Israeli tanks advanced on Yasser Arafat's Ramallah headquarters, and that during their advance, four Palestinians were killed in exchange of fire with Israeli troops.
Israeli Cabinet
At the end of Friday morning's marathon cabinet meeting, the Israeli government unanimously decided on a policy of 'absolute isolation' of Arafat, saying that, from now on, Israel would be responsible for fighting “terror.” The cabinet also approved a partial call-up of reserve troops.
The army will mobilize about 20,000 reservists - an indication that the planned military operation in the territories is expected to be wide-ranging.
The cabinet meeting began late Thursday night and continued for more than eight hours, discussing Israel's response to the Wednesday’s suicide attack, in which 21 Israelis were killed.
During the first part of the meeting, the government gave the Israeli army the green light for comprehensive military action. All government ministers approved the action, with the exception of Foreign Minister Shimon Peres and Matan Vilnai who abstained.
In a televised news conference after the all-night Cabinet session, Sharon listed Palestinian attacks that brought about the decision, starting with Wednesday's suicide bombing. He also noted an attack by a Palestinian gunman at a West Bank Jewish settlement Thursday night, and an incident that was still developing in the Gaza settlement of Netzarim, in which a Palestinian attacker stabbed two people to death (see below).
"All this happens in a period when Israel's hand was stretched out in peace," Sharon said. Referring to a truce effort by U.S. envoy Anthony Zinni, he said Israel was prepared to do everything it could for a cease-fire, "but all Israel got in return was terrorism, terrorism and more terrorism."
Sharon said that "Arafat is an enemy, and at this stage he will be isolated." He would not answer a question about what the next stage might be. Announcing the decision to mobilize reserves, a sign of an extended and large-scale operation, Sharon did not say how many would be called up. Defense Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer said there was no intention to capture territory; rather, "to fight against the terrorist infrastructure."
PA
Yasser Arafat responded defiantly to the Israeli army raid on his compound on Friday, saying the Palestinians would never give up their fight for an independent state, and that he was ready to be a martyr, like some of his former comrades who had been killed by Israel.
Speaking from his headquarters, Arafat said in a telephone interview with the Qatar-based al-Jazeera satellite television station that he had contacted U.S. officials to demand action to prevent an eruption of violence across the Middle East.
"This is the Israeli response to every attempt to make peace because they do not want peace, they do not want peace. We should remember that," Arafat said.
"No Palestinian and no one in the Arab nation will surrender or kneel," he said, adding that he regarded the military offensive as Israel's response to a Middle East peace plan adopted by Arab leaders at a summit in Beirut on Thursday.
Arafat conveyed he had discussed the situation with unspecified American envoys and demanded action. "Where are you? Don't you know that this will shake the Middle East?" he said.
Earlier, Palestinian chief negotiator, Saeb Erekat, said Friday that Sharon has declared comprehensive war on Palestinians, and appealed to the world to stop Israel's siege of Yasser Arafat's compound.
"The Israeli government, which practises state terrorism,
has declared a comprehensive war and Sharon is intent on
destroying the Palestinian Authority and the peace process," the Palestinians' chief negotiator, Saeb Erekat, told Reuters.
He added Sharon was dragging the region into further
bloodshed and said he had contacted Arab and international
leaders, urging them to do whatever possible to stop the Israeli army's operation against Arafat's headquarters in Ramallah.
Attacks on Settlements
Two Israelis were killed Friday morning, when a Palestinian attacked the Neztarim settlement in the Gaza Strip. According to Israeli media reports, two Israelis were stabbed and critically injured and later died of their wounds. The Palestinian sought shelter in the settlement's synagogue, but appears to have fled the scene.
On Thursday night, a Palestinian gunman infiltrated into the Israeli settlement Elon Moreh, killing four Israelis and fighting a prolonged gun battle with Israeli troops until he was killed. Hamas has claimed responsibility.
“Elon Moreh”, one of the oldest Israeli settlements in the West Bank, is located east of the Palestinian city Nablus. Shortly before 9:00PM he charged a house in the center of the settlement, shooting four Israelis, all members of the same family who live in the building.
The gunman then took command of the ground level of the two-story building, and engaged in a gunfight with Israeli troops that surrounded him, while holding other occupants of the house trapped inside. After hours of gunfire, Israeli troops broke into the house and the Palestinian gunman was killed.
The Islamic Resistance Movement Hamas has issued a statement claiming responsibility for the attack. The statement named the attacking gunman as Ahmed Abd Al Jawad.
(Albawaba.com)
© 2002 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
