Mideast Crisis At Boiling Point Monday

02/04/2002| IslamWeb

* Palestinian-ruled Areas Reoccupied: * Resistance Continues; *Definition of Terror Taken up At OIC Conference;
Another UN Security Council Resolution; Arab Protests on the Rise ______
OCCUPIED TERRITORIES, WORLD AND ARAB CAPITALS (Islamweb & News Agencies)-The international dimesions of the crisis in the Middle East cast its shadows across the globe Monday with the issue hot on the agenda in Kuala Lumpur, New York and other world and Arab capitals. However, tensions on the ground in the occupied territories remained high and appeared to be unaffected by what's going on around the world with Israeli brutality esclating from worse to worst and Palestinian Resistance showing no signs of bowing to Israel's arrogance of power.
ISRAEL REOCCUPIES MORE PALESTINIAN CITIES
Having declared his country was at war, Israeli prime Minister, Ariel Sharon ordered his occupation army into more Palestinian-ruled cities including Tulkarm, Qalqilya and Beithlehem. His occupation forces are already well entrenched in Arafat's power base, Ramalla and reports on Tuesday morning spoke of Tanks surrounding the West Bank city of Nablus. 
As the Israeli on slaught esclated, Jibril al-Rajoub, the Palestinian Preventive security chief in the West Bank, said the Israeli army broke into his headquarters in Beitunia, west of Ramallah, early on Tuesday. Israel Radio said the occupation army had cut off electricity to Rajoub's headquarters and was calling on those inside to surrender, threatening to storm the compound if they did not. An Israeli occupation source had said Israel was seeking to arrest some 50 militants who were being hidden in Rajoub's headquarters, including some who topped Israel's most-wanted list.
The occupation army meanwhile said it had arrested more than 700 people in Ramallah, where a defiant Arafat remained at his headquarters.
Six foreigners demonstrating against Israel's military offensive in the West Bank were hurt by Israeli gunfire Monday, and 11 other activists were ordered deported after meeting with besieged Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat.
About 100 foreigners, mostly Europeans, marched from Bethlehem to nearby Beit Jalla, where Israeli soldiers have imposed a curfew. As the crowd approached Israeli tanks, a soldier fired a burst from a machine gun toward the ground, witnesses said.
RESISTANCE CONTINUES
In Jerusalem, a Palestinian bomber detonated his load on Monday after police halted his car at a checkpoint, killing a policeman who had opened the door of the car to search it.
Dozens of people have been killed or wounded in clashes between Israeli occupation soldiers and Palestinian Resistance men in the West Bank in the past four days. Palestinian Resistance men in the West Bank took the law into their own hands on Monday, killing 11 compatriots they accused of collaborating with Israel.
Israel has been hit with five Resistance bombings since Wednesday.
The Israeli military thrust has been accompanied by escalating violence in the uprising against continued Israeli occupation in much of the West Bank and parts of the Gaza Strip that began after talks on a final peace accord deadlocked.
LEBANESE HIZBOLLAH COMES TO THE RESCUE
The Lebanese Hizbollah Resistance group fired a Katyusha rocket into Israel from Lebanon early on Tuesday, Israeli security sources said. It was the first reported Katyusha strike by Hizbollah fighters on Israeli territory since the Israeli army withdrew from Lebanon in May 2000, ending a 22-year occupation.
The attack fueled concern in Israel that the Lebanese group may be trying to open a second front with Israel while its forces are busy in the Palestinian territories.
CALLS BY THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY FOR ISRAEL TO WITHDRAW FALL ON DEAF EARS
U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan urged Israel to withdraw immediately from Palestinian lands and Arafat's compound.
Briefing the Security Council two days after it adopted a resolution demanding Israel's withdrawal from Palestinian towns, Annan said on Monday he feared "much worse is to come if the escalation on both sides is allowed to continue."
The United States appealed for Israeli restraint and called on Arafat to act now to end a wave of attacks against Israelis.
Islamic leaders expressed fury at Israel's four-day-old siege of Arafat's headquarters and a Jordanian official said Amman might expel Israeli Ambassador David Dadon in protest
ANNAN-WHITE HOUSE DIFFER OVER MIDEAST PRIORITIES
Fearing the worst in the Middle East was yet to come, Annan called on Security Council members "individually and collectively" to put pressure on all parties before violence spiraled out of control. He said only third party intervention could surmount the distrust between Israelis and Palestinians.
His statement followed a marathon Security Council session that ended early on Saturday with a resolution that called for a "meaningful cease-fire" and Israeli troop withdrawal from Palestinian cities, including Ramallah on the West Bank.
But White House spokesman Ari Fleischer as well as Israel -- in contrast to the State Department -- appeared to interpret the resolution as calling for a cease-fire before Israel withdrew from Ramallah.
Annan, however, made clear that one element did not take precedence over another. "I share the view that there is no sequencing and that things have to move ahead very quickly," he told reporters."
IMPLEMENTATION IS THE ESSENCE
At the same time on Monday, Arab nations asked the U.N. Security Council to adopt another resolution, demanding implementation of Saturday's document.
But U.S. officials said the ink was not yet dry on Saturday's resolution, which was followed by more violence again??? civilians.
But Palestinian U.N. observer Nasser al-Kidwa said: "There was a resolution which was not implemented and we want the council to stress the need for immediate implementation."
The council is expected to discuss the matter on Tuesday.
Arab Protests Against Israel Rise
Arab protests against Israel escalated Monday, with demonstrators clashing with police in the Jordanian and Egyptian capitals, as their leaders searched for ways to defuse the crisis. (Read photo caption within)
The Egyptian demonstration was the most violent protest here since Israel seized control of Yasser Arafat's compound Friday. Arabs also took to the streets in Lebanon, Libya, Sudan and Yemen.
PHOTO CAPTION:
A Palestinian protestor holds a picture of U.S. President George W. Bush during a demonstration against the Israeli military operation in Ramallah, in Gaza City April 1, 2002. Islamic leaders expressed fury at Israel's isolation of Yasser Arafat as Israeli forces tightened their siege of the Palestinian leader's office. REUTERS/Reinhard Krause
- Apr 01 7:46 AM ET