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The killing of 7 Palestinian civilians is "deplorable", but a Palestinian resistance attack is "despicable", according to Annan
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UNITED
NATIONS, November 20 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) - United
Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan "deplored" Wednesday,
November 20, the death of seven Palestinian civilians, including three
teenage children, following an Israeli raid in the West Bank town of
Tulkarem only a few days after describing a Palestinian resistance
attack against Israeli occupation forces a "despicable terrorist
attack".
"The
Secretary General once again urges the Government of Israel to desist
from the use of excessive force in civilian areas," Annan said in
a statement read by U.N. spokeswoman Hua Jiang at the daily press
conference, reported Agence France-Presse (AFP) said.
"Six
of the deaths came during an Israeli military raid" Tuesday
night, November 19, which killed a suspected Palestinian activist,
Annan said, adding that "at least a dozen civilians were
wounded."
The
raid came as the Israeli Labor Party chose the dovish Amram Mitzna to
lead the party into a January general election.
Mitzna
has promised a swift resumption of peace talks with the Palestinians
if elected Prime Minister.
"The
Secretary General calls on the parties to refrain from acts of
violence, provocation or retaliation," Annan said in the
statement.
"A
political settlement remains the only viable solution to the
conflict," he added.
Annan's
comments came on the same day two Palestinian children were wounded by
Israeli shrapnel in Gaza.
Israeli
tanks shells wounded Wednesday two Palestinian children as they played
football in the Bureij refugee camp south of Gaza City, Palestinian
security officials said.
An
Israeli army spokesman said forces had allegedly "opened fire on
suspects in a forbidden zone" after dark.
No
incidents had been reported in the sector prior to the shelling, said
AFP.
Earlier,
Annan was quick to condemn a Palestinian resistance attack against
Israeli soldiers that took place Friday, November 15, calling it a
"despicable terrorist attack".
Twelve
Israelis were killed, including nine soldiers and policemen and three
settlers, in the Friday evening attack.
Annan
called on Palestinian groups to "stop all such acts of senseless
violence, which are extremely harmful to the Palestinian cause."
An
Israeli writer said Sunday, November 17, that what happened in
Al-Khalil Friday night was not a "massacre," as claimed by
the Israeli spokespeople, nor was it an attack on "peaceful
Jewish worshippers" returning from prayers at the Tomb of the
Patriarchs.
Ha'aretz
correspondent Amos Harel said, "The attack actually began several
minutes after all of the worshippers had already returned safely to
Kiryat Arba. The twelve Israeli casualties in Hebron [Al-Khalil] were
not murdered. Those killed Friday were killed in combat".
All
of the victims were armed fighters, who were more or less trained.
They fell victim to a well-planned ambush that included both
machine-gun fire and grenades, which trapped them in a compromising
situation they found hard to overcome.
"The
ambush actually took place in the 'Israeli' section of Al-Khalil,
dozens of meters from the Kiryat Arba security fence, in an area
occupied by the Israeli forces before the withdrawal, and where
soldiers have continued to operate since the withdrawal."
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