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Newsletter : 1fax0328.txt
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>JN March 28, 2001, Vol. 9, No. 56
Assad Supports Palestinians, Criticizes Israel
By VOA News
Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad has offered his support to the Palestinians, saying the two sides should forget past animosity between Damascus and the Palestinian leadership.
Speaking to the Arab League summit, Assad also had harsh words for Israel. He said that Israeli society is more racist than the Nazis. He described Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon as, in his words "a man of massacre" who is detested by the Arabs.
More Than 30 Injured In Jerusalem Bombings
By Meredith Buel (VOA-Jerusalem)
Two bomb attacks in Jerusalem have killed one suicide bomber and injured more than 30 others. Israeli police say the bomber died after setting off explosives, which were strapped to his body, sending flames up the side of the vehicle and blowing out the back windows of a bus. Earlier, a car bomb explosion near a shopping center injured at least three people. The militant Islamic Jihad group claimed responsibility for that blast.
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said Palestinian leader Yasir Arafat and the Palestinian Authority were "mainly responsible" for the attacks, and Israeli officials said Israel was likely to retaliate.
Israeli officials said the bomb attacks appeared timed to provoke Israel during the Arab summit in Amman, and that any action would take place after the two-day summit ends.
The body parts of the apparent suicide bomber were spread across the street in the French Hill section of Jerusalem. Mike Ambro witnessed the explosion. "I saw the bus coming down here and in the next minute there was just one loud bang," said Ambro. "I thought maybe it was a sonic boom from a plane. There was just smoke everywhere and pieces of shrapnel flying all over the place."
Rescue worker Barach Gurfein arrived on the scene soon after the explosion. He says the latest violence is terrifying. "I really hope we get to peace. The only feeling I have is terror. I don't know where the next one is going to be," said Gurfein. "For all we know there can be another one somewhere around here and we can be hit with it right now."
Meanwhile, Palestinian stone-throwers and Israeli troops clashed at several places in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Several Palestinians were injured.
The flashpoints included Hebron, where Israel's army has imposed a blockade following Monday's killing of a Jewish settler's baby by a sniper bullet.
The explosions came one day after a 10-month-old Jewish girl was killed by a sniper in the volatile West Bank city of Hebron. Hebron, where about 500 Jewish settlers are surrounded by about 130,000 Palestinians, has been a frequent flashpoint during six months of Israeli-Palestinian violence.
Jewish settlers tried to march on the Palestinian neighborhood that was the origin of the gunshots, but were blocked by Israeli troops. However, the settlers burned down Palestinian offices near their settlement. Several Israeli politicians are calling for Israel to retake some Palestinian-controlled areas of Hebron in order to improve settlers' security.
Arab Leaders Back Palestinians
By VOA News
Arab leaders, gathered at a summit in Jordan, have been blasting Israel and defending the Palestinian uprising. In speeches at the meeting Tuesday, leader after leader lashed out at Israel's treatment of the Palestinians and pledged support for the Palestinian cause.
The leaders also called for an end to international sanctions against Iraq, but efforts to narrow differences between Iraq and Kuwait have been so far unsuccessful. The international sanctions were imposed in 1990 after Iraq invaded and briefly occupied Kuwait.
Libyan leader Muammar Gaddhafi addressed the summit behind closed doors, ending a live broadcast by Jordan's state television.
Earlier, Palestinian leader Yasir Arafat accused Israel of waging state terrorism against Palestinians and of strangling the Palestinian economy. Arafat called for the renewal of peace talks with Israelis.
In other addresses on Tuesday, Iraqi Vice President Izzat Ibrahim and Kuwait's Foreign Minister Sheikh Sabah al-Ahamd al-Sabah ignored the problems between their countries, and instead focused on the Palestinian issue. The Iraqi envoy read a message by President Saddam Hussein calling on Arabs to defend Palestinians. He also said Arabs should not forget the plight of Iraqis.
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and Arafat met briefly, ending years of animosity between Syrians and Palestinians. Before the meeting, Assad said the past should be forgotten, and he said Syria was extending its hands to help the Palestinian cause. Relations have been strained between Syria's leadership and Palestinians since Arafat signed peace accords with Israel in 1993.
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