Two Palestinian police officers were killed Sunday, one when army forces entered al-Yamun village near Jenin and the other when an Israeli tank shell hit a building in the Tulkarem refugee camp. Palestinian witnesses said children were throwing stones at the tank. The army did not comment on either death, but said Palestinian gunmen in Tulkarem fired on Israeli forces.
Also, an Israeli officer wounded in a June 15 Palestinian attempt to infiltrate a Jewish settlement in Gaza died of his injuries, the army said.
On the political front, Palestinian leader Arafat accused Israel of intending to manage all aspects of Palestinian life in the occupied areas, including civilian affairs.
"This situation is very serious and difficult," Arafat said Sunday after meeting European officials at his Ramallah offices. "It is clear that this is a continuation of the occupation in our towns and refugee camps."
Arafat urged world leaders to intervene swiftly to contain Israel's get-tough policy in the West Bank.
In his talks with the diplomats, including the consuls of Russia, the United States, France, Germany and Norway, Arafat warned "that the situation in the region is explosive as a result of the pursuit of the Israeli aggression", WAFA said.
Arafat gave the diplomats from more than 20 countries "urgent messages" to deliver to their leaders, "asking them to intervene swiftly to save the situation and stop the Israeli aggression," WAFA said.
The Palestinian leader also handed them an alleged Israeli army document written in Hebrew, and its Arabic-language translation, saying "Palestinian civilians must deal with the Israeli occupation (forces) and not the Palestinian Authority," WAFA reported. "This is an indication that Israel is trying to revive the civilian military administration in the occupied Palestinian territories," WAFA said.
The agency said the document was distributed by the Israeli army in Beitunia, a southern suburb of Ramallah.
Arafat met also Jordanian Foreign Minister Marwan Moasher, thanking him for coming to Ramallah in such "crucial" circumstances. Moasher on his fourth trip to Ramallah this year, cautioned Israel that any such measure would mean "setting back the hands of the clock" in the Middle East conflict.
"There can be no talk about a re-occupation of Palestinian towns. We cannot restore the (Israeli) civilian administration of the West Bank, which is in fact a military administration," Moasher said after talks with Arafat. (Albawaba.com)
© 2002 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
