Palestinian Leader Yasser Arafat plans to show up Monday at the Calandia checkpoint -- the only exit from Ramallah on the road south to Jerusalem and Bethlehem -- to see what Israel does, Albwaba.com has learned. Meanwhile, the Israeli cabinet has ordered to strengthen security measures at this checkpoint.
At present, the Israeli prime minister, Ariel Sharon is rebuffing intensive international pressure to reverse his cabinet’s decision to prevent Arafat from travelling to Bethlehem to attend the annual Christmas mass. Following the decision, the Israeli Prime Minister's Office issued a statement saying the decision was made because Arafat "is not working to dismantle the Palestinian terror organizations, prevent terror against Israel originating from its territory, or arrest and punish terrorists, among them the killers of Rehavam Ze'evi."
Since the decision was published in Saturday night, there has been growing internal debate in the Israeli cabinet. Industry and Trade Minister Dalia Itzik called it "idiotic" and "over-reactive." She said she fails to understand the reasoning behind it, and that it will lead to a deterioration of the goodwill Israel has enjoyed in the West over the last few weeks.
According to media reports, the United Nations, the European Union and the United States are all involved in attempts to convince Israel to change its mind. Belgium, which holds the EU presidency, had called on Israel to lift the ban. Belgian Foreign Minister Louis Michel said in a statement that it would be a symbolic gesture that "could contribute to the necessary relaunch of political dialogue in the Middle East".
Commenting on the Israeli latest decision, Palestinian cabinet minister Yasser Abed Rabbo said: "This is an example of the arrogance of occupation. It's a humiliation for the entire Palestinian people, Christians and Muslims." He said Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon "is playing with fire - he wants blood and tears instead of Christmas carols". “Maybe Jesus Christ can come up with a solution," Abed Rabbo concluded. (Albawaba.com)
Hamas Rocket-Making Workshops Closed in Gaza
Meanwhile, Palestinian police on Sunday closed five workshops in Gaza City where members from the Hamas manufactured rockets, Palestinian security sources said. The workshops produced "Qassam" rockets, named after the movement's military wing, the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, the source said, adding that the owners of the workshops were arrested.
Their caliber is larger than mortar shells and they have a range of around 1.5 kilometres (one mile). Several such rockets were fired on Jewish settlements in the Gaza Strip recently. (AFP, Gaza)
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