Palestinian teenager injured in Gaza Strip

26/08/2002| IslamWeb

HIGHLIGHTS: Palestinians Target Occupation Army Position with Anti-tank Missiles||Israel Rules out Hebron Pull-back as Occupation Army Continues Sweep of West Bank||PFLP Hebron Leader Detained||Palestinian Meetings to Decide the Future of the 'Intifadha' Resume in Gaza|| STORY:   A Palestinian teenager was wounded by
Israeli fire Sunday in the Gaza Strip, where an occupation army position was targeted by anti-tank missiles.

  A 13-year-old was injured when Israeli troops opened fire at a checkpoint near the Gush Katif settlement bloc and the southern Gaza Strip town of Khan Yunis.

An Israeli army position guarding the eastern Kari crossing point into Israel was targeted by two Palestinian anti-tank
missiles, an occupation army spokeswoman said, adding the missiles fell short.

Moments later, Palestinian witnesses said Israeli tanks fired on nearby Palestinian houses and Israeli bulldozers arrived in the
area.

ISRAEL RULES OUT HEBRON PULL BACK AS OCCUPATION ARMY CONTINUES WEST BANK SWEEP

The Israeli government bowed to pressure from the occupation army and ruled out any imminent pullback from Hebron on Sunday, further jeopardising an agreement for a phased withdrawal of re-occupied areas of the West Bank, where occupation troops continued their sweep for suspected resistance activists.

"The army can only pull out of this area once it has received guarantees that calm will be maintained" by the Palestinian Authority, Israeli Defence Minister Binyamin Ben Eliezer told army radio Sunday morning.
  
Israeli media had reported a major split between the defence minister and the military on the issue, prompting a rare public denial from the occupation army.
 
Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat's top adviser, Nabil Abu Rudeina, told AFP Israel's decision was a "dangerous step which will lead to more violence."

For his part, top Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erakat argued Israel's freezing of the security plan would hamper the reforms pledged by Arafat under pressure from Israel and the United States.

JENIN RAIDED AGAIN

The occupation army again raided the northern city of Jenin Sunday morning, wounding three people, two of them children, Palestinian security sources said.

Ten suspected Palestinian militants were also arrested during pre-dawn operations across the West Bank, including a political leader of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) in Hebron, Abdel Halim Dana.

Five Palestinians were also rounded up during an Israeli raid on the town of Salfit, south of Nablus, an occupation army spokesman said, while Palestinian security sources reported three more arrests in the village of Mirka, south of Jenin.

PALESTINIAN MEETINGS TO DECIDE INTIFADHA FUTURE RESUME IN GAZA

The fresh violence in the Gaza Strip came as the 13 Palestinian factions continued their bid to reach a common position.

Senior Hamas official Ismail Haniyeh did not elaborate on the results of Sunday's discussions but told AFP the talks would continue on a unity document which Islamic Resistance groups have sought to amend.

Palestinian minister of the interior, Yahya, urged Resistance groups Saturday to rethink "their strategy of resistance," two days after he met with the National and Islamic Forces, the umbrella organization which groups the factions.

PHOTO CAPTION

Hamas leader Abdel Aziz Rantisi, foreground, takes part in a meeting with other members of rival Palestinian political factions including Islamic Jihad in Gaza City Sunday, Aug. 25, 2002. The meeting was held in an attempt to forge a united front and get Islamic militant groups to stop bombing and shooting in Israel, and accept a common Palestinian manifesto which could form the basis of renewed peace negotations with the Israelis. Internal talks broke down earlier this month after Hamas and Islamic Jihad vetoed clauses calling for an end to attacks in Israel and implying recognition of Israel. (AP Photo/Adel Hana)
- Aug 25 8:56 AM ET