A 16-year-old Palestinian boy had been killed by Israeli fire in the Hebron area, Palestinian sources said Tuesday noon.
Earlier in the day, Israeli forces entered the West Bank city of Jenin. Troops carried out searches and detained a number of Palestinians for questioning. Meanwhile, the Israeli news agency Itim reported that Israel was pulling its forces out of the Balata refugee camp, near Nablus Tuesday.
Arafat-Tenet
Yasser Arafat presented a plan for reforming the Palestinian security services to visiting CIA chief George Tenet on Tuesday, with the Palestinian leader proposing to halve their number and tighten supervision.
At Arafat's headquarters in the West Bank town of Ramallah, two dozen Palestinians protested against the Tenet mission, chanting "Tenet go home" as the CIA chief's convoy rolled into the compound. The protesters said they opposed U.S. involvement in internal Palestinian affairs.
Arafat's media adviser, Nabil Abu Rudeineh told Palestine Radio that the PA leader had asked Tenet to pressure Israel into pulling out of all Palestinian autonomous areas and end its tight siege around cities and villages.
Israel maintains it carries out the incursions to arrest activists, while the sieges serve to keep Palestinian attackers out of Israeli population centers.
Palestinians, however, argue the closures are a collective punishment and the daily incursions constitute a reoccupation of the areas under Palestinian control.
According to reports in the Palestinian press, the PA has completed its plans for the new make-up of its security establishment. According to these reports, Yasser Arafat will serve as the head of a "supreme security council."
Al Quds daily reported Tuesday morning that this council would include the Palestinian security forces, the police, the general intelligence force, the preventative security forces, the presidential guard and military intelligence. It was also reported that the current leaders of these bodies would remain in their positions.
Arafat announced at Monday night's meeting of his cabinet that the veteran Palestinian general Abdel Razaq Yehiyeh, will be charged with coordinating the security forces.
A statement released at the end of the session said that the PA's announcement that it would hold "parliamentary and presidential" elections at by the end of January 2003 was "irreversible." (Albawaba.com)
© 2002 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
