Palestinians Defy Curfew & Protest Security Post in Nablus

16/09/2002| IslamWeb

With Israel on high alert for attacks on the Jewish holy day of Yom Kippur, about 200 Palestinians defied an Israeli-imposed curfew to march through Nablus Sunday in protest of a new security checkpoint in the middle of the West Bank town. In Jerusalem, meanwhile, an east Jerusalem Arab was indicted on suspicion of plotting to poison diners at a popular restaurant where he worked as a cook, a Justice Ministry spokesman said.

Also Sunday, Israeli occupation forces moved into an area of the Gaza Strip east of Gaza City to take control of a major intersection, witnesses and the occupation army said. Israeli bulldozers destroyed farmland, an irrigation pool and roads in the area. There were no casualties in the raid, which lasted four hours, witnesses said.

An Israeli occupation army spokesman said part of the main north-south road in Gaza was damaged to prevent what he called terrorists from moving within the territory, and to prevent mortar attacks. The spokesman said four mortar shells were fired at internationally illegal Jewish settlements overnight.

The Israeli daily Haaretz, on its English language Web site, reported that occupation troops entered three separate points in the coastal strip and destroyed electrical infrastructure in Gaza City, leaving some residents without power. It cited accounts from witnesses.

The occupation army allowed the Nablus march and it was peaceful, witnesses said. The Israeli occupation has enforced a round-the-clock curfew in the town for nearly three months, since it took over most of the West Bank towns in a bid to end attacks by Palestinian Resistance men against Israelis.

Demonstrators shouted "Free Palestine" and "Out with tanks." They complained that the new checkpoint, established two weeks ago, has severely hampered traffic between the eastern and western sides of Nablus, the largest West Bank city.

In nearby Tulkarem, shots were fired at an Israeli helicopter hovering over houses in the town, witnesses said. No one was injured, but the helicopter suffered minor damage.

An occupation army official said Israeli occupation forces were on high alert for what he called.

PHOTO CAPTION

A Palestinian youth climbs over the concrete and barbed wire barrier separating the West Bank side of Abu Dis neighborhood from the East Jerusalem side, Sunday, Sept. 15, 2002. While these kinds of barricades are common around Jerusalem, Israel has also stepped up security in preparation for Yom Kippur, the highest Jewish holiday. (AP Photo/Brennan Linsle