A local leader of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) was killed by Israeli troops in the northern West Bank town of Qalqilya, Palestinian and Israeli sources said.
Raed Nazal was killed in an exchange of gunfire during a pre-dawn Israeli army incursion into the town, in which at least 20 Palestinians were also detained, Israeli officials said. About two dozens of Palestinians were arrested in villages near Qalqiliya, Palestinians said.
Two other Palestinians were shot dead by Israeli troops in Qalqilya.
Four Palestinian policemen surrendered to Israeli troops ringing Bethlehem's Church of the Nativity and two men in the compound were wounded by Israeli snipers. The two were evacuated and given medical treatment, according to AP.
The dispute now between the Israelis and the Palestinian centers on the fate of six “wanted” Palestinians in the church — whether they will be escorted to Gaza, as the Palestinians propose, or be sent into exile, as Israel demands, said Palestinian negotiator Salah Taameri, who was to meet Saturday with Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat to discuss the deal.
Capt. Joel Leyden of the Israeli military said negotiations would not be open-ended. "At some point, if we have to use a military option, we will," Leyden said.
Elsewhere in Yasser Arafat’s Ramallah headquarters, Israeli soldiers fired tear gas and stun grenades toward hundreds of Palestinians protesting the Palestinian leader's confinement by Israel. At one point, Palestinians fired several live rounds from a nearby building, AFP reported.
Israeli troops responded with live fire, and the crowd quickly dispersed. Eleven people were injured, none by shooting. (Albawaba.com)
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