Al-Awda/ The Palestine Right to Return Coaltion of New York City will
hold an
Emergency Demonstration
Tuesday, December 4 @ 5:00 P. M.
At the Israeli Consulate
42ND STREET AND 2ND AVENUE
*Speak out against Israel's war on Palestine
*Speak out against Israeli occupation of Palestine
For updates
www.electronicintifada.org
Israel steps up air strikes
(Filed: 03/12/2001)
ISRAELI jets attacked the West Bank town of Jenin this evening, hours
after air strikes on Yasser Arafat's Gaza City headquarters. Rocket
attacks were also launched on Bethlehem.
Missiles struck the Palestinian leader's helicopter compound in the
Gaza Strip this afternoon in retaliation for the weekend's suicide
bombings by Islamic militants.
Smoke rises from the area near Yasser Arafat's Gaza office
The attack, close to his offices and official residence, came despite
the arrests of 110 militants by Arafat's forces. Seventeen people were
injured.
Palestinian security staff fled the area under as eight helicopters
hovered over the city, themselves under fire from machine guns on the
ground.
An Israeli source said the strikes were "only the start" of its
response to the suicide attacks. Arafat himself was in the West Bank
city of Ramallah at the time the missiles struck.
Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, who returned to Israel this
morning after cutting short a US visit, held emergency talks with his
ministers.
Palestinian cabinet minister Saeb Erekat said he had asked the United
States to force Israel to halt the bombardment. He said that Israeli
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon "should know that bloodshed breeds
bloodshed".
White House spokesman Ari Fleischer said: "Obviously Israel has the
right to defend itself and the president understands that clearly." He
said the burden was now on Arafat to show the will to stop such
attacks.
An Israeli official said the strikes were a message to Yasser Arafat
to fight terrorism. "Either Arafat will fight terrorism or we will
have to do it," said Raanan Gissin, a spokesman for Sharon.
"It was not an attack on the home or the compound of Mr Arafat but on
the helicopter and helicopter landing pad," he said.
The Palestinian Authority said a number of Israeli tanks and armoured
vehicles have moved into Palestinian areas in the West Bank.
Sharon vows revenge
2 December 2001
Palestine Media Center - PMC
Israeli occupation authorities declared during the afternoon hours of
2 December, that all Palestinian civilians would be barred from
exiting or entering Palestinian-controlled areas. According to the
Israeli media,Palestinian traffic is not to leave any
Palestinian-controlled area (area A)or travel between area A and
villages in areas B and C throughout the West Bank.
The move effectively turns every Palestinian population center, no
matter how large or small, into a prison. Israeli media purports that
the Israeli occupation authorities have stated that travel exemptions
would be permitted "in humanitarian cases only". However, such claims
or announcements have been proven false on the ground on numerous
occasions, often leading to deaths and health complications of
Palestinian civilians in need of medical attention.
The Israeli human rights organization B'Tselem has previously
condemned the Israeli occupation army for obstructing Palestinian
patients' passage to hospitals. According to various Palestinian
sources, these draconian
measures, which contravene international humanitarian law, have lead
to at least thirty-three deaths of kidney patients. They have also
caused at least twenty-two cases of miscarriages and labor at the
various Israeli military
checkpoints, in the West Bank alone. On 16 October, B'Tselem stated,
"The [Israeli occupation forces]spokesperson has repeatedly stated
that: The [Israeli occupation forces] has regulations whose purpose is
to ensure the passage of urgent medical cases at roadblocks. The
regulations may exist, but the soldiers at the roadblocks have
apparently not heard about them".
Earlier in the morning, Israeli occupation authorities sealed off all
passages, including the international crossing points between the West
Bank and Jordan as well as between the Gaza Strip and Egypt.
www.palestine-pmc.com
add your comments