Two Palestinians were killed and an Israeli soldier lightly wounded Sunday night in a gun battle in the West Bank city of TulKarem. Palestinian sources identified one victim as Majad Alashkar, an Islamic Jihad activist.
Earlier, Israeli troops wounded Sunday a Palestinian and arrested at least 23 others in the West Bank cities of Hebron, Ramallah and Tulkarem.
Palestinian sources told WAFA that Israeli soldiers wounded a man during clashes, which broke out between Israeli forces and Palestinians in the village of Soureef in Hebron before arresting him and leading him into an undisclosed place.
In Hebron governerate, Israeli soldiers launched an arrest campaign in different villages and launched an all-out search campaign, nabbing at least 12 Palestinians, local sources said.
Prisoners Society in Hebron reported that Israeli troops arrested five in the village of al-Zaheria, other five in Soureef village and two in the village of Deir Samet.
In the meantime, Israeli soldiers swept into in the village of Bil'in in Ramallah, launched a search campaign causing a state of panic among children and women, witnesses said.
Head of the Popular Committee to Resist the Wall in the village, Iyad Burnat said that Israeli forces arrested nine Palestinians.
Meanwhile, Israeli soldiers positioned at a mobile military checkpoint, installed at the entrance of Deir al-Ghosson north of Tulkarem, stopped a Palestinian and searched him before arresting and led him into an unknown position, witnesses told WAFA.
In another development, Palestinian interior minister Maj. Gen. Nasr Yousef announced that the Palestinian Authority was considering the incorporation of Fatah's armed arm, Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, into the security services. Minister Yousef said, according to RNA, following a meeting with security chiefs headed by Prime Minister Ahmad Qurei, that the plan would be implemented in the next few weeks.
© 2005 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
