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Sharon Heads To Washington, New Israeli Aggression In Tulkarem.
NABLUS, May 5 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) – While Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon is on his way to Washington with his own version of a peace plan, the Israeli troops incursion into the Palestinian town of Tulkarem in the north west of the West Bank resulted in the death of an eight-year-old Palestinian boy and the injury of another.
Tamer Abu Sirriyeh died Sunday after being hit in the chest by bullets when Israeli tanks opened fire with heavy machineguns on a Palestinian refugee camp near the town of Tulkarem, news agencies reported.
Another 16 year-old teenager was hit in the head and seriously injured in the same incident.
This took place before the Israeli army pulled out from Tulkarem
but remained close to the town .
In the meantime, Intense U.S. and European efforts were underway Sunday to break the 34-day siege of the Nativity Church by transferring wanted Palestinians into international custody, Agence-France Presse (AFP) reported.
Following the ground-breaking accord, which ended last week the siege of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat's Ramallah headquarters, a British negotiator Saturday received a list of the 200 or so Palestinians inside the besieged church from a priest.
The plan is that the diplomat will hand the list to the Israeli army, followed by transferring four men, whom Israel claims are wanted terrorists and who are thought to be inside, to international guard within the coming days, news agencies reported.
More than one source predicted a quick end to the church’s siege, as news agencies reported the Bethlehem's Mayor Hanna Nasser said he expected a deal to end the siege within 24 hours.
Moreover, the British official quoted a senior Palestinian as saying the crisis at Jesus Christ's birthplace could be resolved by Sunday, the Orthodox Easter.
Nasser said his confidence stemmed from "international pressure and particularly American pressure on Israel," news agencies reported.
According to AFP, the CIA were also involved in the talks, which went ahead despite the killing by Israeli snipers of a man said to be a top Palestinian resistance activist inside the church.
A breakthrough would help boost the mission of Sharon, who flew out for Washington with his own plan for tackling the 19-month crisis and armed with a dossier he hopes will convince U.S. President George W. Bush to sideline Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, AFP reported.
Meanwhile, Egypt's Foreign Minister Ahmed Maher and presidential adviser Osama al-Baz held talks Sunday with Yasser Arafat and expressed Cairo's solidarity with the Palestinian leader.
The meeting was Arafat's first with senior Arab officials since Israel lifted its month-long siege of his Ramallah offices, news agencies reported.
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