12 - 18 April 2001
Issue No.529
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Al-Ahram Weekly On-line 12 - 18 April 2001 Issue No.529 |
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Beyond the red line
Israel escalated its attacks on Palestinians, entering Khan Younis camp in Gaza and leaving a trail of death and destruction
In its first foray into Palestinian-controlled territory Israeli tanks and bulldozers rumbled into the Khan Younis Refugee camp in Gaza overnight, razing or heavily damaging 30 homes and triggering an exchange of fire that left two Palestinians dead and more than two dozen injured.
The assault was the first time since the outbreak of the current Intifada that Israeli ground troops entered Palestinian-controlled territory, prompting the Palestinian leadership to call for international intervention.
Palestinian President Yasser Arafat's top aide, Nabil Abu Rudeina, warned that the bombardment of a Palestinian refugee camp was leading the region down a dangerous path.
"The Israeli government has crossed all red lines and is going down the path of permanent escalation with its continuing war against the unarmed Palestinian people, making light of our people and the Arab nation," Abu Rudeina told the Voice of Palestine Radio.
Abu Rudeina warned Israel only the negotiation of a fair peace could bring security to the region and held Israel responsible for the very dangerous escalation that was leading the whole region into a state of heightened tension. Arafat's adviser said the Palestinian leader was in contact with the US, Europe and several other countries over the escalating situation, and was following the developments minute by minute.
Residents of the Khan Younis refugee camp said the Israeli attack began 12.30 am yesterday when several tanks, armored personnel carriers and bulldozers advanced towards the camp as helicopters gunships hovered above. Shells were fired at the camp, drawing return Palestinian fire. Witnesses said Palestinians had to run from their homes while being fired on by Israelis, and Israeli bulldozers started destroying their homes without giving them any warning or a chance to remove belongings. By daybreak hundreds of camp residents were sifting through the rubble.
Palestinian doctors told AP a policeman and a civilian died from shrapnel injuries and 40 people were wounded, among them three journalists, including Mohamed Shanaa, a 27 -year old TV soundman who suffered serious injuries. The mayor of Khan Younis, Osama Fara, said 15 homes were razed completely and another 15 heavily damaged, leaving hundreds of people homeless. The Israeli army claimed it destroyed 11 vacant buildings.
Israeli Defence Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer said Israel had no intention of reoccupying Palestinian territory and was acting in self-defense. The army, he said, was ordered to destroy posts from which Israeli settlers were shelled at by Palestinians, and said refugees would not be allowed to return to their homes.
Israeli army radio's military commentator Caramela Menasheh described the operation as the first on such a large scale in the Palestinian autonomous areas and a "new stage" in the escalation of fighting.
The overnight attack cast a shadow over security talks. The Israeli Defence minister said Israel was interested in attending US-hosted talks while a senior Palestinian security official said a meeting would take place within hours. The official said the Palestinian side would be represented by the general security chief in Gaza Abdel-Razeq El-Majeida, intelligence chief Amin El-Hindi and preventative security chief for the West Bank Jibreel Rajoub. There was no information on whether Palestinian Preventative Security Chief for Gaza, Mohamed Dahlan, who attended the security talks last Wednesday, would attend. Wednesday's talks, the first and so far only attempt to end the six-month Israeli-Palestinian confrontation, were marred when Israeli troops fired on the convoy of Palestinian officials returning to Gaza.
A meeting had been expected on Monday but the Palestinians said they were first seeking an Israeli apology for the shooting. Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon sent a letter to US Secretary of State Colin Powell expressing regret over the "unfortunate incident" but stopped short of apologising.
Ariel Sharon maintained his tough position saying he had a comprehensive plan to stop the violence and pledged that "security would be restored". In an interview published on Tuesday by the Haaretz daily Sharon warned that Israel would annex Jewish settlements and other areas in the West Bank and Gaza if Arafat unilaterally declared a state.
Sharon also said he would not evacuate any Jewish settlements -- which even the US has labelled an obstacle to peace -- within the framework of any peace accord, claiming that the settlements protect Israeli water resources and give the nation strategic depth.
Meanwhile, Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres, speaking on an official visit to Turkey, said he wanted to see contacts with Palestinian officials leading to a reduction in the violence. Peres did not rule out holding a meeting with Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, whom some hard-liners in the Sharon government now see as beyond the pale, but said it would have to be well- prepared.
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