Israeli troops attacked Palestinian security installations in the Gaza Strip on Saturday, killing a Palestinian child and injuring 12 on Saturday, while Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon called off a much-anticipated between his foreign minister Shimon Peres and Palestinian President Yasser Arafat.
The Palestinian news agency (WAFA) reported that 1 14-year-old Palestinian was killed by the Israeli fire in Khan Younes.
He was identified as Imad Ata Zurob. He was shot in the heart. The Israeli army said the teenager had aimed a Kalachnikov assault rifle at the soldiers, said Haaretz.
Three other Palestinians were killed in the raids, reported AFP.
Palestinian witnesses were quoted by the Israeli daily Haaretz as saying that at least seven missiles hit targets in Gaza City, two struck sites in Rafah near Gaza's border with Egypt and two were fired at Nusairat refugee camp in central Gaza.
The paper added that Israeli helicopters attacked a Palestinian intelligence outpost north of the settlement of Netzarim, in conjunction with ground troops who shot missiles at a Palestinian navy post in the same area. Israeli ground troops also opened fire on a Palestinian police outpost in Rafah.
Wafa said that 20 Palestinians were injured, including four policemen, Palestinian sources said.
An Israeli army spokesman was reported by the Israeli radio as saying four armed Palestinians were wounded by Israeli troops in three separate shooting incidents in the Gaza Strip on Saturday.
Citing Palestinian sources, Haaretz reported that an Israeli force including tanks, APCs and bulldozers entered the northern Gaza town of Beit Hanoun late Friday night, blowing up Palestinian security installations. It added that two Palestinians were killed, and 11 were injured in the ensuing gunfight.
Also Friday night, 16 grenades were thrown at an Israeli army outpost near the Rafah border crossing in the southern Gaza Strip. There were also two incidents of Israeli troops being shot at in the Gaza Strip, once in Gush Katif and once near Kfar Darom. No injuries were reported, and no damage was caused.
Two members of the Border Police were injured Friday afternoon in an attack at the Erez checkpoint in the northern Gaza Strip. One suffered moderate-to-serious injuries and the second light injuries, after grenades were thrown at the checkpoint. The two were taken to Barzilai Medical Center in Ashkelon for treatment.
Israel Radio reported that a bomb exploded alongside Israeli troops near Nablus, next to Elon Moreh. There were no injuries.
Two bombs exploded near Israeli troops in the casbah area of Hebron in the West Bank. There were no injuries in this incident either.
Earlier Friday, Palestinian media sources said the Israeli had renewed gunfire on Jenin. Israeli troops entered the Palestinian controlled town in the West Bank at the beginning of the week, taking advantage of the world getting busy with terrorist attacks on US landmarks.
In Gaza, an Israeli tank fired two shells at a Palestinian police position, and soldiers from the tank also fired their guns, according to Palestinian police sources. There were no injuries from the shooting, but the police position suffered serious damage.
The army denied reports that it had entered Palestinian-controlled territory near the West Bank town of Ramallah overnight Friday. It claimed that Palestinian gunmen opened fire on Israeli soldiers south of Ramallah and near the settlement of Psagot, also located in the West Bank. No injuries were reported among Israeli troops; Palestinian sources said that three Palestinians were wounded.
Meanwhile, a much-anticipated meeting between Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres and Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat will not take place on Sunday as had been scheduled, the Israeli public television reported, cited by AFP.
The television quoted sources close to Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon after he met with Peres on Saturday evening.
According to the television report, both men agreed there would be no meeting between the two men who shared the 1994 Nobel Peace prize for an interim peace accord.
Sources close to Peres said that Sharon had not discussed the matter with the foreign minister before reaching a decision.
But Peres and Sharon did not rule out such a summit after the Jewish New Year, which is on Tuesday and Wednesday, television added.
Many diplomatic efforts have been deployed over the past few weeks to push the meeting through, but Sharon had said it would be "inappropriate" after the terrorist attacks which killed thousands of people in the United States.
The United States and United Nations have exerted pressure on the Israeli government to make the long-awaited meeting happen.
Sharon told US President George Bush of his decision to cancel the meeting in a phone conversation Friday. Although Bush told Sharon that he hoped Sharon would allow the meeting to go forward, Sharon explained that he believed that holding the meeting at the present juncture would harm Israel's interests. During the exchange, Bush also thanked Sharon for Israel's support after the terror attacks in the US, and Sharon once again likened Arafat to Osama bin Laden.
Chairman of the dovish Meretz party and leader of the opposition Yossi Sarid said Saturday that his faction supported the meeting between Peres and Arafat taking place. Sarid said that the meeting must go ahead as this would make it easier for the United States to establish a coalition against terrorism. Sarid added that Israel would be making a mistake if it appeared to be the one to oppose the American front against terror.
Meretz MK Zahava Gal-On called upon Peres to withdraw from the government if Sharon continues to refuse permission for his meeting with Arafat.
Earlier Friday, Peres set a new condition for meeting Arafat when he demanded the PA chairman order an end to terror attacks before truce talks could be held, an aide to the foreign minister said.
US Secretary of State Colin Powell spoke to Peres on Thursday and pushed for the meeting to go ahead, said Peres spokesman Yoram Dori. However, Dori said, Peres told Powell that Arafat had to first issue immediate instructions to end acts of terror and also take the necessary steps to calm the situation.
Dori said Peres spoke with UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan and German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer on Friday and repeated his demand for Arafat to order an end to violence before the meeting took place.
The Palestinians also put forward their own conditions for the meeting. Palestinian Information Minister Yasser Abed Rabbo said Peres needed to have a full mandate from Sharon to discuss all issues, but Sharon has banned any negotiations on diplomatic issues “as long as the violence continues” – Albawaba.com
© 2001 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
