 |
|
Peres
met with minister who is dubbed “uncorrupt” by Sharon
|
Additional
reporting by Mustafa Al-Sawaf, IOL
Palestine
correspondent
JENIN,
July 9 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) - A special unit of the
Israeli occupation army assassinated a leading member of Islamic Jihad
near Jenin in the north of the
West Bank
before dawn on Tuesday, July 9, Palestinian resistance movement said.
Moammar
Daraghme, 30, was killed in an ambush in the Palestinian
village
of
Yamun
, the group said, news agencies reported.
Daraghme
is one of the most prominent Palestinian fighters “wanted” by the
occupation forces.
The
Israeli occupation forces started a military operation on the Tulkarem
and Nour Shams refugee camps in the early hours of Tuesday before
withdrawing three hours later. During the operation it
forcefully entered houses and abducted several Palestinian residents
in both camps.
Meanwhile,
Palestinian medical sources told Agence France-Presse (AFP) on Monday,
July 8, that two Palestinians were hurt by Israeli gunfire, one of
them 46, who was hit by a bullet in the face was in a critical
condition and is in the intensive care unit.
IslamOnline’s
correspondent reported that the occupation forces entered 300 meters
inside Palestinian land in Block G, accompanied by nearly 30 tanks and
two bulldozers and amidst the gunfire towards the homes of the
residents. Several residents were hurt, including a woman who is in a
critical condition.
The
occupation forces ruined seven homes and a member of the Palestinian
police force was abducted.
The
correspondent added that armed Palestinians faced the occupation
forces and threw several hand grenades at them and attacked them with
heavy gunfire.
Meanwhile,
another group of armed Palestinians fired Monday night at the illegal
Israeli settlement of Nveh Digalm, south of Gaza Strip with five
missiles followed by an exchange of gunfire between the Palestinians
and the occupation soldiers who were inside the settlement.
On
the diplomatic front, Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres and newly
appointed Palestinian finance minister Salam Fayad held the first such
talks in months in
Jerusalem
late Monday, AFP said.
The
meeting at an undisclosed location was the first contact in more than
two months between cabinet ministers from the Palestinian Authority
and Israel, which has reoccupied most of the West Bank since June 19.
Peres’
office was quoted as telling public radio the ministers notably
discussed an international project to collect funds for the
Palestinians. It also said their talks will be followed by a series of
other meetings.
Palestinian
officials had said earlier that new Palestinian interior minister
General Abdel Razaq Al-Yahiya would also take part in the meeting with
Peres, but the radio said they would meet separately on Tuesday.
In
Washington, Bush said: “I believe some progress is being made
towards the institutions that I have talked about that are necessary
for a Palestinian state to emerge which will give us all confidence in
its ability to fight off terrorist activities.”
With
signs of renewed dialogue between the two sides, France and Russia
revived calls for an international conference on the 21-month crisis
that has left more than 2,000 people dead and the peace process in
tatters.
The
sudden rekindling of diplomatic efforts came as Israeli commentators
called for Prime Minister Ariel Sharon to come up with a political
initiative to capitalize on the lull in violence that has accompanied
his three-week invasion of the West Bank.
Peres’
meeting with one of the most senior ministers to emerge from the
recent shake-up of the Palestinian leadership came with the blessing
of Sharon, who reportedly views both Fayad and Yahiya as “free of
the corruption”.
