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Arafat
Agrees To Security Talks Despite Israeli Cease-fire Breaches
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Arafat
should have "total freedom of movement" as soon as possible:
Solana |
OCCUPIED JERUSALEM,
Feb. 26 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) - Palestinian President Yasser Arafat
has pledged to resume security talks with Israel.
"That
was a request from our friend the European Union and our friend Javier Solana
and I couldn't say no to that," Arafat said Monday, February 25, 2002,
after meeting the E.U. foreign policy chief in the West Bank town of Ramallah,
Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported.
Arafat
announced the resumption of security meetings after a two-hour meeting with
Solana at the Palestinian leader's West Bank headquarters in Ramallah, BBC’s
online service reported.
The
Palestinians suspended security talks with Israel on Sunday after the government
of the Israeli hawkish premier Ariel Sharon announced it would keep Arafat
confined to Ramallah, where he has been under virtual house arrest since early
December.
The
joint security talks are aimed at stemming violence that has claimed nearly
1,280 lives in 17 months -- including 978 Palestinians, the majority children
and teenagers, and 278 Israelis -- since the start of Al-Aqsa intifada.
Solana
called on Israel to lift all limitations on Arafat's movements "the sooner
the better," in order for him to work to prevent further retaliatory
operations in Israel, BBC said. The Palestinian leader said that he and Solana
had talked about the need for European as well as U.S. observers to follow up
the security meetings.
However,
the United States refused to back an EU call for Israel to lift travel
restrictions on Arafat, confined to Ramallah until he brings to justice those
responsible for the October killing of Israeli tourism minister Rehavam Zeevi.
Sharon's
decided Sunday to ease the blockade on Arafat, allowing him to leave his
compound but not Ramallah, in what it called a goodwill gesture.
But
the Palestinian leader remained defiant, telling Denmark's DR1 television
channel on Monday: "No one can humiliate me."
Solana
said after talks with the Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres that Arafat
should have "total freedom of movement" as soon as possible, a stance
reiterated in Washington by Spanish Foreign Minister Josep Pique, whose country
holds the rotating EU presidency.
U.S.
State Department spokesman Richard Boucher declined to comment directly on the
EU position, resorting to vague language urging both Israel and the Palestinians
to "take positive actions that will create the environment for moving
forward."
Meanwhile,
Israel's justice minister today warned that the Israeli army could re-take all
autonomous Palestinian towns in order to "clean them out" and put an
end to anti-Israeli attacks.
"Apparently
Arafat doesn't understand English and so we have to tell him in Arabic: the war
against terrorism does not mean arresting a few people from time to time,"
Meir Sheetrit said on Israeli public radio, AFP reported. "It could be that
we have no other alternative but to re-occupy all the Palestinian cities and
clean them out one after the other," he said.
The
official Palestinian news agency WAFA issued a report Tuesday showing that
Israel breached the cease-fire 23 times in 24 hours.
“The
Israeli occupation forces continue their aggression using wide range of weapons
against the Palestinians and inflicting more death and suffering,” the report
said.
The
Israeli forces killed two Palestinian pregnant women and 19 were injured, among
them 7 children & 3 critical cases & 3 were abducted, it added.
The
report also said eight houses, four economic establishments & six vehicles
were destroyed or damaged by Israeli forces. Palestinian controlled areas were
invaded four times & shelled 5 times.
The
report listed the Israeli aggressive practices in different Palestinian
territories as follows:
In
Nablus, the occupation forces opened fire at a Palestinian vehicle near Hawarah
military checkpoint killing Mohamed Abdullah Al Hayek, 22, and critically
wounding his father, 64, and his pregnant wife Maisoon, 22.
In
Jenin, the Israeli forces continue to besiege the city and the village of
Tamoun.
In
Tolkarem, Israeli forces shot and killed Nour Jamal Shalhoub, 15 at Al Taiba
checkpoint. They also raided and imposed a curfew on Jayyous village and
arrested two Palestinians.
In
Al-Khalil (Hebron), Jewish settlers opened fire at a Palestinian bus wounding
four and the occupation forces raided Yatta village and opened fire a National
Security post. The Old City is still under curfew for the eleventh consecutive
day.
In
Bethlehem, the occupation forces bombarded and opened fire at residential
neighborhoods in Al Khader village and Beit Jala wounding one Palestinian and
causing damage.
In
Gaza, the Israeli forces penetrated in Wadi Gaza and opened fire at a National
Security post.
In
Northern Gaza, the Israeli army bombarded several areas east of Jabalia causing
severe damage.
In
Mid-region, the Israeli forces raided Wadi Al Salqa village and arrested one
Palestinian.
In
Khan Younis, under heavy gunfire, the occupation forces penetrated in Qizan Al
Najjar and Al Qarara areas causing severe damage.
And
in Rafah, the Israeli forces bombarded Block “O” wounding three
Palestinians, two of them children, and causing damage. They also opened fire at
a National Security post.
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