Israeli Cabinet Decides to Continue Brutal Offensive
Israel Reoccupies More Palestinian-Ruled Areas
Palestinian Death Toll Now Put at 500 in 12 Days
Palestinian Refugees Displaced Yet Once More
Concerns in Washington about a Second Front on The Border with Lebanon ___

MADRID, OCCUPIED TERRITORIES (Islamweb & News Agencies)- On the eve of his arrival in the occupied territories to try to cool an extremely explosive situation in the Middle East, Strategic analysts said Powell had better be ready for a long haul if he wants to succeed. (Read photo caption within) Recalling Henry Kessinger's extensive shuttle diplomacy between Israel, Egypt and Syria after the 1973 Middle East war, the sources maintain that Powell will need the determination of the former secretary of state as success meant including two elements missing from the mandate of U.S. envoy Anthony Zinni -- political issues and heavy pressure on Sharon and Arafat. Powell meanwhile, won strong international backing for his Middle East peace mission Wednesday at talks in Spain but developments on the ground seemed to decrease the odds of his success. On the one hand, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said it would be a "tragic mistake" for Powell to meet Palestinian President Yasser Arafat, and Israel's cabinet decided to continue its offensive in the West Bank, making his task look even tougher. On the other hand a devastating Resistance bombing that killed at least 8 Israelis and wounded at least 14 others made matters look even worse.
Israeli Defense Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer said Wednesday his forces would not obstruct a Powell-Arafat meeting but, according to observers, Sharon's disapproval did not augur well for Powell's efforts.
However, a senior State Department official said Sharon's offer to talk to "moderate and responsible" Arab leaders showed he was still interested in political negotiations.

ISRAEL OCCUPIES NEW PALESTINIAN-RULED AREAS

The United States has been calling increasingly stridently for Israel to withdraw from the West Bank after a 12-day offensive launched following a wave of Resistance attacks that killed scores of Israeli civilians.
But Sharon has pulled out of only two cities and entered several villages since then. His strategy of isolating Arafat, who he has declared irrelevant, is at odds with Powell's insistence that the Israelis will eventually have to deal with Arafat as the Palestinians' chosen leader.
On Thursday, Israeli occupation forces moved into the central West Bank village of Ber Zeit, witnesses said, just hours after Israel announced it was leaving three other villages.
On Tuesday, shortly after Israeli troops left the northwest cities of Tulkarm and Qalqiliya, they entered the southern village of Dura.

DEATH TOLL RISES

Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat said 500 Palestinians had been killed so far in Israel's offensive. The figure could not be independently verified.
Jenin refugee camp has been the fiercest point of fighting in the Israeli offensive, where 13 occupation soldiers were killed in a Palestinian ambush Tuesday.
At least four more Palestinians died in the West Bank on Wednesday, including a 13-year-old girl who died in a hospital in Nablus a day after being shot in the head as she looked out of her window, hospital sources said.
Israeli forces killed two Palestinian Resistance men in the Gaza Strip and were searching for a third after they opened fire on occupation soldiers.

*PALESTINIAN REFUGEES IN NEW DISPLACEMENT FROM CAMP

Hundreds of Palestinian refugees, displaced during past Middle East wars, were on the move again Wednesday during the on-going brutal Israeli army offensive in the West Bank. They were the latest wave to flee Jenin refugee camp where they said Israeli bulldozers had moved in and were demolishing homes, after days of fierce fighting between Palestinian Resistance men and Israeli occupation troops finally subsided.

*CONCERNS ABOUT A SECOND FRONT ON THE BORDER WITH LEBANON

In Washington, the Bush administration is taking part in a diplomatic effort to head off the possibility that Israel's border with Lebanon could become a second front in the Middle East conflict. State Department officials highlighted the U.S. concern Wednesday as the Hezbollah Resistance group in Lebanon staged one of the biggest attacks in two years, firing rockets and mortars into Israeli territory.
Such attacks have been frequent since Israel began attacks against Palestinian militias.
U.S. and other diplomatic efforts to curb the violence have focused on Syria and Iran, both of which exert considerable influence in Lebanon. Both have ties with Hezbollah, and Syria has had 20,000 troops in Lebanon for years.
U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan addressed the issue while in Spain for a meeting with Secretary of State Colin Powell, Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov and European Union officials.

PHOTO CAPTION:
U.N. secretary-general Kofi Annan (L), Spanish Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar (2nd L) Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov(C), EU Foreign Policy Chief Javier Solana (behind Ivanov), U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell (2nd R) and Spanish Foreign Minister Josep Pique gather around prior to a meeting to discuss the situation in the Middle East in Madrid, April 10, 2002. Powell won strong international backing for his Middle East peace mission but a devastating suicide bombing seemed to decrease the odds of his success. (Sergio Perez/Reuter