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Nativity Drama Over, Israeli Military Operations Continue
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Israelis destroyed her house in Rafah Refugee Camp |
BETHLEHEM, West Bank, May 10 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) - While the settling of the Church of the Nativity standoff made the headlines Friday, Israel continued its attacks on Palestinian cities and camps, massed up troops around Gaza Strip in preparation to sweep it.
In Belgrade, Greek Prime Minister Costas Simitis said Greece is prepared to accept "some" of the 13 Palestinians waiting in temporary exile in Cyprus as part of a deal to end the siege of Bethlehem's Nativity Church, reported Agence France-Presse (AFP).
Greece "has accepted to accommodate some of the Palestinians on its territory," the Beta news agency quoted Simitis as telling Greek journalists covering his two-day visit to Belgrade.
The 13 Palestinian activists, considered "highly dangerous" by Israel, are currently held at a seafront hotel in Cyprus after release from the church under an EU- and U.S.-brokered deal to end the five-week siege.
In Washington, U.S. President George W. Bush hailed the end of the 38-day standoff as a "positive development" that should "advance the prospects for resuming a political process toward peace."
"The end of the standoff in Bethlehem is a positive development that removes an obstacle to restoring security cooperation between the parties and should advance the prospects for resuming a political process toward peace," he added.
"Like the resolution to the situation in Ramallah, the positive result in Bethlehem was achieved through the efforts of a number of individuals and governments," the U.S. President said, doling out special praise to the European Union and U.S. Embassy and consular officials in the region.
However, the situation on the ground, all over the Palestinian territories, seemed different, with the Israeli army pressing with its operations, sweeps and abductions.
While the Israeli army began withdrawing its troops from Bethlehem, the troops were to be redeployed on the outskirts of Bethlehem and Beit Jala which will remain encircled like other cities vacated by the Israeli army, an Israeli military source said.
Three Palestinians, two children and a man in his 50s, were wounded by Israeli gunfire Friday in two separate incidents, one in Beit Hanun and the other at the Karni crossing point between the territory and Israel, hospital sources said.
Meanwhile, Israeli tanks and bulldozers stormed the city of Deir El-Balah in the central Gaza Strip, Palestinian security sources said.
They said the troops destroyed a cement factory and razed a field in self-rule Palestinian territory near the Jewish settlement of Kfar Darom.
Palestinian sources in Hebron reported that the occupation forces fired missiles at a house in the south of the city, in which a Palestinian activist was holed up. The house was destroyed and the activist reportedly surrendered to Israeli soldiers.
Early Friday morning, Israel abducted three wanted Palestinians in Kfar Ramana, near Jenin, and an Islamic Jihad activist in Kfar T’koah, near Bethlehem.
Palestinian sources also reported that Israeli army units swept Azoun, east of Qalqilyah, imposed a curfew and abducted many Palestinians.
The Israeli army claimed Friday it uncovered a large arms cache and bomb-making laboratory in the northern West Bank town of Tulkarem.
"Our forces discovered an important workshop for making bombs where they found bags containing powerful explosive charges as well as cell phones to activate them remotely," the military said in a statement.
"Our forces seized 26 rifles as well as many charges and have blown up the workshop" during a raid of the self-rule Palestinian town on Thursday, the army said.
The claim came after the Israeli army swept Tulkarem briefly Friday and blew up explosives in the garden of Abbas al-Sayed, a local head of the resistance Islamic movement Hamas, who was arrested when Israeli troops swooped on the town two days ago.
Ten tanks took part in Friday's sweep before later withdrawing.
Witnesses said soldiers abducted the local fire chief, Hossam Souiss, uncle of another Hamas member recently abducted.
Meanwhile, Israeli military preparations are still frantically under way around Gaza to attack the densely inhabited Strip. Gaza Strip public security chief General Abdel Razaq al-Majeida said he expected Israeli forces to strike "at any time" but told AFP: "We think it will be a limited response."
In Washington, White House spokesman Ari Fleischer appeared to sound a note of caution, saying "Israel has to be very mindful of its responsibilities to protect peace in the region and work toward a vision of peace."
Asked whether his comment amounted to a "red light" for Israel, Fleischer retorted: "The United States does not give Israel any lights."
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