Steve Quayle News Alerts

June 28, 2002

— Israeli tanks and bulldozers smashed holes in a Palestinian Authority headquarters in Hebron on Friday to try to flush out suspected militants. As a former Palestinian Cabinet minister entered the building in an attempt to end the standoff, the Palestinian leadership appealed to world leaders to intervene between the two warring sides.

FORMER MINISTER Talal Sidr said he could not find anybody inside the building, but that the 15 men sought by Israel could be in parts he was unable to check.

“I didn’t see anyone, but that doesn’t mean there is no one inside because there are places that are heavily damaged that I couldn’t enter,” he said, shortly after his visit of less than an hour inside the four-story building in Hebron.

The Israeli army had no immediate comment.

With Israeli troops controlling seven of the eight main West Bank cities and towns, the Palestinian leadership issued a statement on Friday condemning the Israeli incursions into Palestinian areas as “an attempt to sabotage peace efforts.”

The statement, quoted by the Palestinian Wafa news agency, appealed to the world leaders attending G8 summit in Canada to “send observers to the region to ensure implementation of a cease-fire.”

At the hilltop Hebron building, where the regional Palestinian administration is housed, television showed a bulldozer knocking through the wall at the ground level of the four-story, fortress-like building. Friday was the fourth day of the Israeli siege of the building.

A day earlier, Israeli helicopters fired four missiles at the four-story structure. Soldiers outside warned that they would go in and extract the gunmen if they did not give themselves up.

“I think they have to surrender and give up,” Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres said on Friday. “There is no sense for them to fight.”

Sidr, who is from Hebron, said he went in with Israeli permission after discussing the matter with Israeli authorities. He said that after his look around he suggested to the Israelis they end the siege and check inside the building.

Tanks had been firing at the building, and explosions were heard every few minutes at the compound, witnesses said.

700,000 UNDER CURFEW
Also, soldiers and border police arrested six Palestinians in villages near Jerusalem, Bethlehem and Hebron overnight, the military said Friday, describing them as “suspected in terror activity.”

In the case of the Bethlehem church standoff, Israeli tanks and troops encircled the building, and after tense negotiations involving the United States, Europe and the Vatican, an agreement was worked out under which 13 gunmen were deported to Cyprus and Europe, and 26 others were sent to Palestinian-controlled Gaza.

About 15 Palestinians wanted by Israel as terrorism suspects were believed holed up inside the squat, unadorned, four-story building first used by the British army and handed over, in turn, to Jordan, Israel and then the Palestinians.

“We know that a few wanted persons are inside and we intend to apprehend them,” army spokesman Brig. Gen. Ron Kitrey told Israel Army Radio. “We prefer to do it without a battle, but if it proves necessary, there will be one.”

Retaliating for two Palestinian suicide bomb attacks that killed 26 Israelis in Jerusalem last week, Israeli forces took control of Palestinian cities and towns, including Hebron, declaring curfews that confined more than 700,000 people to their homes.

ACTING ‘IMPROPERLY’
In the West Bank town of Qalqiliya on Thursday, Israeli soldiers opened fire on a group of children who were outside despite the curfew, wounding three, including a 9-year-old boy who was shot in the head and was in critical condition. The Israeli military admitted that the soldiers “acted improperly.”

The incident was apparently a tragic misunderstanding. Palestinian high school seniors are taking standardized final exams this week, and in many places the Israeli military is lifting the curfew to allow them to get to their schools. Israeli Civil Administration spokesman Maj. Peter Lerner confirmed that the intention was to lift the curfew for students in Qalqiliya.

Palestinian officials said people saw the students outside and thought the Israelis had eased the curfew temporarily to allow them to buy supplies, and many went out into the street. There have been several such incidents since Israel took control of the towns.

The curfews have disrupted the final exams, which determine who will get high school diplomas and go on to universities. Palestinian Education Minister Nabil Abu Homos said half of the 29,000 students in the West Bank missed their tests on Thursday.

ANGER AT BUSH
While furious at the Israelis over their severe measures, Palestinians also directed anger at President Bush.

After calling for replacement of the Palestinian leadership in a speech Monday, Bush followed by refusing to rule out U.S. military action against the Palestinians and threatening to cut off aid.

At the G8 summit, Bush was asked whether his doctrine on terrorism, which leaves open the possibility of U.S. military action against states supporting terrorists, applied to Arafat. “I’m never ruling out military. All options are available,” he said, but added, “the tool I’m using is diplomatic pressure...”

West Bank security chief Jibril Rajoub said it would be “dangerous” to equate Arafat with terrorism. “The Palestinian Authority is not the Taliban movement.”

In a communiqué issued after a summit in Canada, the G8 said Palestinians must adopt democracy. They did not echo Bush’s call this week for Arafat to be replaced as Palestinian leader.

But Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien said that, while some leaders disagreed with elements of the plan, “collectively we were all happy that he has taken this initiative.”

http://www.msnbc.com/news/677951.asp