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Israel Stages New Raid Into Palestinian Territory
GAZA CITY, May 24 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) - Israeli tanks and a bulldozer staged a new raid Thursday into Palestinian territory near a Jewish settlement in the Gaza Strip, before withdrawing from most of the area, Palestinian security officials said.
Around 7:00 a.m. (0400 GMT) seven Israeli tanks firing shells and one bulldozer raided the Sheikh Ajleen neighborhood, on the coast near the settlement, destroying vineyards and tearing down a wall around a home, security sources said.
Several hours later, Israeli tanks remained at the side of a road in the area, but allowed traffic through.
The raid occurred after the Israeli army reported an alleged mortar attack against the Netzarim settlement. There were no casualties or damage in the alleged attack.
Thursday morning's raid was the seventh by the Israeli army into Palestinian-run territory in the Gaza Strip within a 24-hour span, according to Palestinian security sources.
The raids occurred despite Israel saying it would not carry out pre-emptive strikes under an announced unilateral ceasefire declared by the Jewish state on Tuesday.
Later Thursday, a deaf and mute Palestinian was shot and killed during a fierce firefight between Palestinians and Israeli troops in the southern Gaza Strip near the border with Egypt, hospital officials said.
Shadi Siyam, 20, was shot in the chest and died later in the hospital near the Yebna refugee camp, according to medical sources
After concerns regarding the validity of the unilateral Israeli ceasefire, diplomatic efforts intensified on Thursday in an attempt to implement recommendations made by the U.S.-led Mitchell Commission.
Palestinian President Yasser Arafat is to hold talks with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak in Cairo on the implementation of the Mitchell commission recommendations. The Commission was created at Sharm al-Sheikh in October to examine the causes of the ongoing unrest in the Palestinian territories.
After the talks, the Palestinian president will fly to Jordan for a meeting with King Abdullah II.
Arafat will meet Abdullah and Prime Minister Ali Abu Ragheb at the royal palace "to coordinate the Palestinian, Jordanian and Egyptian positions on the Mitchell report," Palestinian Charge d'Affaires Atallah Khairy said.
"Arafat will talk to King Abdullah II about how to implement the Mitchell report and the Egyptian-Jordanian initiative and how to face the dangerous situation in the Palestinian territories," Arafat aide Nabil Abu Rudeina said.
"We are asking the international community, especially the United States and the European Union, to push the Israeli government to stop the Israeli aggression and military escalation and send an international protection force," he said.
Jordan and Egypt have both welcomed the recommendations of the Mitchell report produced by the international commission headed by former U.S. senator George Mitchell investigating the deadly violence that broke out in September.
Amman and Cairo have also praised an announcement by the United States backing the report and naming a special envoy to help Palestinians and Israelis implement its recommendations.
For his part, Arafat arrived in Cairo from Paris where he held talks with French President Jacques Chirac and Prime Minister Lionel Jospin on Wednesday.
While in Paris, Arafat called for a new Middle East summit gathering for those who took part in the last summit at Sharm el-Sheikh and members of the Mitchell Commission "to immediately begin implementing" the commission's recommendations.
As the two sides - Palestinians and Israelis - spoke at cross-purposes over the implementation of this week's Mitchell report, the United States renewed its call for the two parties to end violence.
Washington announced on Wednesday that both Palestinian and Israeli leaders agreed to implement the recommendations of the Mitchell commission after U.S. President George W. Bush held a telephone conversation with Arafat and Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.
Adding its voice to the Middle East chorus, Russia also stated its support for the Mitchell peace plan in the Middle East.
"It is necessary to use the Mitchell Report as effectively as possible, along with the Egypt-Jordan peace initiative, in order to tackle the situation," a Russian Foreign Ministry statement said Wednesday.
"We hail all the steps made in that direction by the Israelis and the Palestinians," the statement added.
The Mitchell Report calls for an immediate end to the eight months of violence in the Middle East, along with the freezing of construction in the Jewish settlements.
The Egyptian-Jordanian initiative calls for confidence-building measures, including a halt to Israel's settlement activities and a resumption of negotiations for a final peace settlement.
Many world leaders, who urged both sides to quickly implement it recommendations, embraced the draft version of the Mitchell report earlier this month.
Among the report's boosters are U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell and the European Union.
As for the two parties concerned, the Palestinians accepted the report in its entirety, while the Israelis rejected the recommendation for a total freeze on settlement activity.
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