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Three Palestinians in surge of violence
Fri 23 April, 2004 10:02
By Naim Sweilem
QALQILYA, West Bank (Reuters) - Israeli troops have shot dead three members of Yasser Arafat's Fatah movement in a surge of violence that has claimed 25 Palestinian lives since Israel assassinated a Hamas leader last week.
The latest sweep for militants in the West Bank town of Qalqilya on Friday came amid rising tensions over Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's plan to uproot Gaza settlements while tightening Israel's grip on much of the West Bank -- a tradeoff Palestinians have rejected.
A new Israeli newspaper poll reinforced signs of eroding support for Sharon's plan within his right-wing Likud party, which will hold a May 2 referendum on the issue. The survey showed 49 percent in favour of the proposal and 39.5 against it.
Mindful of opposition within the Likud's pro-settler ranks, Sharon signalled on Thursday that he would likely press ahead with his proposal even if his own party rejected it.
The latest series of army raids and sweeps could help shore up support for Sharon, who has tried to calm Israeli fears that a Gaza withdrawal might encourage stepped-up attacks by militants claiming it as a victory.
UNDERCOVER COMMANDO RAID
Witnesses said Israeli commandos in an unmarked car opened fire on four men in Qalqilya killing three and wounding the fourth, identified as the local leader of al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades.
The army said soldiers fired after the men ignored orders to halt and tried to flee, but witnesses described it as an ambush.
A senior official of al-Aqsa, a militant faction of the Palestinian president's Fatah movement, said one of the dead belonged to the armed group but the other two were political activists.
An Israeli army spokesman said the men were all militants on Israel's wanted list.
"We will retaliate" the al-Aqsa official told Reuters. "The blood of our martyrs won't be wasted.
Palestinian cabinet member Saeb Erekat said: "This shows that Israel is going ahead in destroying the peace process."
Israel says it is acting in self-defence against militants behind a campaign of suicide bombings that have killed hundreds of Israelis during a 3-1/2-year-old Palestinian uprising.
Israel killed Hamas leader Abdel-Aziz al-Rantissi on Saturday in a missile strike on his car in Gaza City, sparking threats of revenge attacks.
Since then, 25 Palestinians have been killed, including militants and civilians. There have been no Israeli deaths during the past week.
Hamas, sworn to Israel's destruction, fired makeshift rockets into Gaza settlements and southern Israel earlier this week, and Israel struck back with a large military incursion.
Palestinian medics said a four-year-old girl died of tear gas inhalation and another girl, aged nine, and a teenager were killed by Israeli gunfire in northern Gaza on Thursday, the third day of clashes. The Israeli force later pulled back.
The army said Palestinian gunmen had hurled grenades and fired automatic weapons and an anti-tank missile at the soldiers, who shot back at them and also used tear gas and rubber-coated bullets to disperse stone-throwers.
Israeli troops shot dead three militants in the West Bank town of Tulkarm on Thursday, the army said.
http://www.reuters.co.uk/newsPackageArticle.jhtml?type=worldNews&storyID=498253§ion=news |
