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| Middle East |
| IDF goes into Hebron |
| 2002-04-29 |
| Israeli forces pushed into Hebron early Monday, killing nine Palestinians. Israeli forces entered the West Bank city of Hebron at about 4:30 a.m., with tanks and armored personnel carriers driving in from all directions. Nine Palestinians, including six civilians, were killed by Israeli fire, Palestinian witnesses said. In the bloodiest incident, a missile fired from an Israeli helicopter hit a one-story house, killing a gunman and four civilians. Two more civilians who rushed to the scene to try to help were killed by helicopter fire, witnesses said. Israeli troops lined up dozens of Palestinian men against a wall, handcuffing and blindfolding them. Several of the men knelt on the pavement, as Israeli troops stood guard. Ben-Eliezer said troops arrested 17 Palestinians in Hebron, including several high on Israel's wanted list, and found two suitcases filled with explosives, as well as a car bomb ready for detonation. "We went there to hit that infrastructure (of terror groups) and to get out quickly," Ben-Eliezer said. The Hebron incursion came in retaliation for a weekend attack on the nearby Jewish settlement of Adora, in which four Israelis, including a 5-year-old girl, were killed. Hamas claimed credit for that attack. The incursion doesn't come as a surprise. They always retaliate after atrocities. Seems like this retaliation was pretty productive. Palestinian Cabinet Minister Saeb Erekat said Israel acted in bad faith by sending troops into Hebron. "The moment we accepted the American proposal (on Arafat's confinement), we have an incursion into Hebron," Erekat said. "Every time we show good will ... Israel slaps us in the face." That was just after the five year old was murdered, wasn't it? |
| Posted by:Fred Pruitt |