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| Middle East |
| Israelis react to suicide bombing... |
| 2002-09-19 |
| An emergency session of the cabinet unanimously decided Thursday evening to isolate Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat (1929-2002?) rather than expel him, and called for the immediate handing over of 15 to 20 Palestinians wanted by Israel for suspected links to terror who are holed up in the compound. Seems like he's always got 15 or 20 criminals hanging around him... The decision was immediately put into effect, with IDF tanks surrounding Arafat's offices inside his Ramallah compound Thursday evening. The troops reinstated a blockade of the compound, and shot and seriously injured a Palestinian wanted by Israel. The man later died of his wounds. "Go ahead! Pull a rod! Make my day!... Oooh! He pulled a rod! He made my day!" "What we are doing right now is using loudspeakers to ask them to come out and surrender," he told Reuters. He said the cabinet would decide what action to take if the militants did not turn themselves in. "C'mout, c'mout, wherever you are!" An Israeli official said that soldiers named Tawfik Tirawi, a head of Palestinian General Intelligence in the West Bank, as one of the men. Tewfik, lest we forget, is head of al-Aqsa Maryrs' Brigades... IDF bulldozers demolished 11 caravans in Arafat's compound, and eight Palestinians staying in the mobile homes surrendered themselves to the troops. It was not immediately clear whether any of the unidentified men were on Israel's wanted list. "Bail, Tewfik! Bail! They're comin' for the trailer house!" Later Thursday night IDF tanks and troops had entered the town of Beit Hanoun in the northern Gaza Strip. At least six Israeli tanks backed by helicopter gunships into the northern Gaza Strip, and Israeli forces exchanged fire with Palestinian gunmen. Now's as good a time as any to scrub the place out... Prior to the meeting Sharon told a closed forum that Arafat should be "thrown out," but the issue was not brought to the vote. The cabinet also decided to renew the full closure on the territories and cancel all the easing of restriction given recently to the Palestinian population. The Israelis have a choice: listen to them bitch about the Occupation®, or dodge them as they go exploding in all directions. I'd go with ear plugs, myself... |
| Posted by:Fred Pruitt |
| #1 Fox news had a report that the IDF had also blown up at least 6 factories being used to make explosives. Sounds like they intend to quickly nip this diversion by Saddam in the bud |
| Posted by: Frank G 2002-09-19 20:37:30 |