Bomb explodes in Jerusalem as Israel tightens grip on West Bank
AFP, April 2, 2002

Tuesday April 2, 6:29 AM

Bomb explodes in Jerusalem as Israel tightens grip on West Bank

A Palestinian bomber blew himself up in Jerusalem, while eight other Palestinians and an Israeli were killed as Israel defied world outrage with another military push into the West Bank aimed at cutting off Yasser Arafat.
    As the death toll mounted, the United States urged immediate implementation of a UN Security Council resolution on the escalating conflict, indirectly calling for Israeli withdrawal from Palestinian territories and a ceasefire.
    And UN Secretary General Kofi Annan warned that "much worse is to come," while Muslim nations said Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon was plunging the region into all-out war.
    There were angry demonstrations across the Arab world against Israel's offensive, while seven foreigners were injured when Israeli troops fired on demonstrators near Bethlehem.
    The Jerusalem explosion -- the sixth Palestinian bomb blast in Israel and the West Bank in as many days -- occurred when a policeman flagged down a suspect car for a security check.
    Jerusalem police chief Micki Levy said "the terrorist was wearing a belt or a bag filled with explosives to commit a suicide attack in the middle of Jerusalem."
    The policeman was seriously injured and another two people lightly wounded.
    An anonymous caller told AFP the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, an ultra-violent splinter group of Arafat's Fatah faction, was responsible.
    US Deputy State Department spokesman Philip Reeker said Washington wanted to see Israel and the Palestinians fulfill UN Security Council resolution 1402 adopted Saturday.
    "The United States is supporting the UN Security Council resolution which we helped craft, which we voted for, that calls for an immediate ceasefire, for the parties to do that, and for a withdrawal of Israeli forces," Reeker said.
    "These are critical steps," he told reporters. "We think they need to be undertaken now."
    Annan warned the Security Council that "much worse is to come" if the logic of war was not broken.
    It was vital to address the legitimate concerns of both sides, Annan said in remarks to a closed council session, defining the grievances as "occupation; violence, including terrorism; and the economic plight of the Palestinians."
    Muslim nations warned that Sharon was plunging the troubled Middle East into "all-out war" after he swore to crush the Palestinian uprising following a spate of suicide attacks.
    The soaring tensions brought nervous calls for a renewed peace effort but US President George W. Bush shrugged off concern, calling on Arafat to do more to stop the violence that has left more than 1,650 dead since September 2000.
    Palestinian rage had earlier erupted in the West Bank town of Tulkarem, where seven people suspected of collaborating with Israel were executed by Palestinian gunmen.
    The incidents occurred hours before Israeli tanks, backed by helicopters, took complete control of Tulkarem, according to mayor Mahmud al-Jelad.
    Jelad said a "great number of tanks" had moved in and taken over the town, considered by Israeli security officials as a springboard for attacks on Israel.
    Israeli forces also tightened their grip Bethlehem and other West Bank towns as the army said it wanted to keep Arafat from communicating with members of his Fatah movement.
    "I am waiting for the army to take measures to totally isolate Arafat," Defence Minister Benyamin Ben Eliezer told public radio. He said Israel did not want to "humiliate" or harm him.
    Arafat, called "an enemy of the free world" by Sharon on Sunday, remained pinned down by Israeli forces in Ramallah. Electricity and water have been cut, and witnesses inside said Israeli troops appeared to be digging in.
    An AFP correspondent reported three strong explosions and heavy machinegun fire late Monday near the besieged compound.
    Arafat has been stuck since Friday when the latest Israeli military push, dubbed "Operation Rampart," sealed off Ramallah after Sharon rejected a historic Arab peace offer.
    A senior Israeli security official said they believed militants allegedly behind some of the most bloody attacks were now in Arafat's office or that of his local security chief.
    But dovish Foreign Minister Shimon Peres said on Israeli television that the siege on Arafat should be eased.
    Hospital sources said three Palestinians, two policemen and civilian, were found dead after being shot Sunday, and local residents said three more were killed overnight.
    The Israeli army says it has rounded up 500 Palestinians in recent days in a house-to-house sweep.
    Seven foreigners -- an Australian, a Frenchman, two Britons, two Americans and a Japanese national -- were injured when Israeli troops reportedly opened fire on a pro-Palestinian demonstration close to Bethlehem.
    An army spokesman accused them of deliberately provoking the soldiers. A Palestinian camerman was also wounded.
    Five suicide bombings inside Israel the last week, including an attack Sunday that killed 16 people and wounded more than 40, have stiffened Sharon's resolve to put an end to the Palestinian uprising.
    "The state of Israel is in a war," he said in an address to the nation Sunday. He said there would be no ceasefire until attacks came to a halt.
    But a Palestinian gunman shot dead an Israeli at the Jewish settlement of Har Homa on the outskirts of Jerusalem, Israeli medical sources said. The armed branch of Islamic Jihad claimed the shooting.
    Earlier a Palestinian child was reportedly shot dead by troops in the Gaza Strip. The renewed cycle of violence dashed what hopes remained of a return to peace talks despite the presence of US envoy Anthony Zinni.
    The United States has come under growing criticism for its steadfast support of Israel. Bush on Monday again put the burden on Arafat to denounce terrorism and work toward a ceasefire.
    "I would like to see chairman Arafat denounce the terrorist activities taking place," Bush said.
    "We've got a plan that will lead to peace," Bush said, referring to steps devised by CIA director George Tenet aimed at achieving a ceasefire, ahead of a broader peace plan devised by former US senator George Mitchell.
    But he added that "I think it is very important for the prime minister to keep a pathway to peace open."
    Muslim nations meeting in Malaysia for the Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC) issued a statement saying that Israel was leading the way to "all-out war" and appealing for the Security Council to act.
    There were also angry demonstrations across the Arab world, notably in Egypt where police used clubs, tear gas and water cannon to disperse a crowd of 20,000 protesters marching to the Israeli embassy.

Copyright © 2002 AFP

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