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Ten Israeli tanks, troop carriers and jeeps stormed President Arafat's HQ, and injured two Palestinian policemen
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OCCUPIED
JERUSALEM, September 19 (IslamOnline & New Agencies) - The Israeli
cabinet decided unanimously Thursday, September 19, to
"isolate" Palestinian President Yasser Arafat in his
besieged Ramallah Headquarters and to demand the surrender of twenty
of his forces inside the compound, Israel public radio said.
The
cabinet went as far as discussing expelling the Palestinian President
from the Palestinian territories – a question eventually ruled out
after security chiefs warned that such a move would do Israel more
harm than good, the radio said, Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported.
Israeli
government spokesman Gideon Meir told AFP the army was calling on
around 20 Palestinians inside the President’s Headquarter to
surrender.
Among
them are the head of West Bank intelligence, Tawfiq Tirawi and the
commander of Arafat's Force 17 bodyguard, Mahmud Damra, Meir said.
The
Israeli cabinet’s decision came after ten Israeli tanks, troop
carriers and jeeps stormed President Arafat's Headquarters late
Thursday.
Two
of Arafat's bodyguards were injured in the attack.
The
Israeli armor rolled up to within 30 meters (yards) of the
Headquarters and soldiers announced by loudspeakers that a curfew on
the West Bank town of Ramallah applied inside the HQ as well, AFP
said.
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latest resistance attacks are the result of continued Israeli
aggression and massacres against the Palestinian people and
territories
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The
occupation of President Arafat’s HQ followed a bus explosion in Tel
Aviv which killed 5 people and injured more than sixty.
Hours
after an Israeli armord vehicle shot dead a 10-year-old Palestinan boy
in Ramallah, a bomb went off at around 1:00 pm (1000 GMT) in the
central Tel Aviv Allenby Street area, a busy shopping area full of
cafes.
Several
of the injured were in a serious condition, according to Agence
France-Presse (AFP).
There
were confused reports about the cause of the blast. Army radio said it
was caused by a Palestinian suicide bomber, but public radio said it
could have been a device left on the bus.
The
bus was on the number 4 route, passing near the large Yavne synagogue.
The
latest explosion comes just one day after a Palestinian resistance
bomber blew himself up, killing an Israeli policeman in the northern
Israeli town of Umm El-Fahm – the first successful attack inside
Israel in six weeks.
The
Palestinian leadership for its part condemned the attack and asked all
Palestinian groups to follow suit, said AFP.
"The
Palestinian leadership condemns all attacks on civilians, be they
Palestinian or Israeli," the statement said, adding that they
gave "Sharon and his army more reason for killing and
punishment."
That
attack was claimed by the Palestinian resistance group Islamic Jihad,
which said the bomber had been spotted by police as he was heading for
his target, which was not identified.
Police
said he was apparently intending to board a bus going deeper into
Israel.
A
top Palestinian official said the Israeli government bore ultimate
blame for Wednesday's suicide bombing in Israel, which he said was the
result of the Israeli army's ongoing occupation, AFP reported.
"We
blame the Israeli government for this, it is the result of continued
Israeli aggression and massacres against the Palestinian people and
territories," said Nabil Abu Rudeina, a top Arafat aide.
"We
ask Israel to withdraw immediately from our territory and return to
talks. Israeli aggression paved the way for this incident, which does
not help the peace process," he added.
A
political leader of the Palestinian resistance group Hamas told AFP
Thursday he expected a new wave of suicide bombings in Israel.
"I
expect this is one of a series of martyr operations. The martyr
operations will continue against the Zionists; we are defending our
people. The resistance will escalate," said Abdel Aziz Rantissi,
without specifically claiming the attack for his group.
Meanwhile,
Israel warned Thursday against a "major drive" by
Palestinian resistance fighters after the second attack in as many
days shattered a six-week lull in attacks inside Israel. The six weeks
witnessed continued Israeli occupation and daily incursions into
Palestinian territories plus a failure on Israel’s Sharon to resume
peace talks with the Palestinians.
"We
are definitely facing a major drive by all Palestinian …
[resistance] organizations," said Avi Pazner, a government
spokesman.
Sharon,
meanwhile, called Thursday for an urgent meeting of his cabinet.
Defense
Minister Binyamin Ben Eliezer earlier summoned senior security
officials to decide on a response to the latest Palestinian resistance
attacks, the radio said.
The
army earlier slapped a curfew back on occupied West Bank cities, AFP
said. The renewed curfew did not apply to Palestinian self-rule areas
of Al-Khalil (Hebron).
Israel
has reoccupied almost the entire West Bank since June 19, when it
launched a major reoccupation offensive that has provoked more
Palestinian resistance attacks inside Israel.
