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Newsletter : 1fax0330.txt
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>JN March 30, 2001, Vol. 9, No. 58
Arafat Vows Uprising Will Continue
By Ross Dunn (VOA-Jerusalem)
Three Palestinians were killed in clashes with Israeli soldiers in the Gaza Strip Thursday. But Palestinian leader Yasir Arafat remained defiant, saying his people's uprising against Israel would continue. Israeli forces shot to death two Palestinian boys and a man who apparently belonged to Arafat's Force 17 security service.
An Israeli army spokesman said the man was in uniform and firing at Israeli soldiers with an automatic weapon when he was killed near the Jewish settlement of Netzarim.
Palestinian medical sources said the teenage boy was shot dead during clashes with Israeli soldiers near the Erez crossing between Gaza and Israel. An army spokesman confirmed there were clashes in the area, and said rubber coated metal bullets and tear gas were used to control the crowd.
Meanwhile, Arafat surveyed damage from Wednesday's Israeli helicopter gunship strikes that targeted his security service. He said such action will not bend the will of Palestinians.
Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres said the air strikes were a warning for Force 17, which Israel accuses of being involved in terrorist attacks against Israeli civilians.
Peres said in a statement the strikes were "not an act of punishment, nor an act of revenge." However, "the murderous events of recent days have been so blood filled and so terrible they can not be ignored."
There were also clashes Thursday in the West Bank town of Hebron, where earlier in the week a Jewish settler's baby was killed by sniper fire. Palestinians are calling for a general strike Friday to mark the anniversary of the 1976 killing of six Israeli Arab protesters by the Israeli army.
Arafat said the attacks mark the start of what he called a 100-day military campaign against his people, and that the airstrikes are part of a well-planned strategy that will escalate the level of violence.
Israel called for the Palestinian leader to reign in militants who have carried out suicide bombings in recent days. But Arafat said that it is the Israelis who are to blame for the surge in violence by making Palestinians the target of military strikes.
"It is an escalation. The start of the escalation, which I had mentioned yesterday, that they are preparing to escalate for the next 100-days, which had been described as a plan, a military plan by General Mofaz against our institutions, our houses, our universities, everything, they will escalate."
Arafat's house, a two-story villa in Gaza, was damaged in the raids by Israeli helicopter gunships. Arafat said that his people can expect more attacks in the near future.
Bush to Palestinians: Stop the Violence
By VOA News
President Bush said the Palestinians and Israelis must take steps to end bloodshed in the Middle East. He said the tragic cycle of incitement, provocation and violence has gone on far too long.
Bush said the Palestinian leadership must speak out publicly and forcefully against violence and terrorism, in language the Palestinians will understand. He said the Palestinians should arrest those responsible for terrorist acts, and should resume security cooperation with Israel. Bush says Israel should exercise restraint, ease closures, remove checkpoints and take other steps to help restore normalcy to the lives of the Palestinians.
TWA's Sudden End Strands Passengers
By Arutz-7 News
Travelers to and from Israel nine days before the Passover holiday found themselves totally stranded this week when TWA suddenly ceased flying to Israel, effective immediately.
Would-be passengers on the Tuesday night flight from New York had been informed earlier that day that everything was on schedule. When they arrived at the airport, however, they found that the flight had been canceled. Frantic calls to TWA offices produced vague answers. Only after travel agents consulted their on-line flight schedules did they find that all TWA flights to and from Israel had been canceled.
On Wednesday night, most passengers were still not aware of the situation, and the frantic airport situation repeated itself, in both New York and Tel Aviv. Finally, on Wednesday night, TWA announced that service to Israel "has been indefinitely suspended," and that the company was "contacting ticket holders in the United States and Israel so they can make other arrangements" - but there was no word on refunds of tickets that TWA sold almost up to the last minute.
TWA said the Tel Aviv route "will not be a part of the acquisition" by American Airlines. The statement also noted that the TWA employee group in Israel had gone to court to seek liquidation of TWA's Israeli assets for benefit of Israeli creditors, and that TWA therefore "had no choice but to move quickly to protect its assets." This was interpreted in Israel as meaning that TWA canceled its flights for fear that Israel would confiscate the plane. TWA ticket-holders are advised to call TWA at 1-800-221-2000 to make alternative flight arrangements.
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