Palestinians days of rage cut short by rain

RAMALLAH — The Palestinian Authority's campaign for a weekend of rage against Israel was cut short by winter.

Heavy rains stopped plans for huge demonstrations around the West Bank and Gaza Strip on Saturday. Instead, Palestinians buried their dead from Friday's violence and returned home.

So far, eight Palestinians were killed in weekend clashes with Israeli forces. Three Israelis were killed in Palestinian attacks.

Palestinian militants continued threats to escalate the violence against Israel. In Gaza, hundreds of Palestinians marched with semi-automatic rifles and pistols and called for armed struggle against the Jewish state.

"We will burn all the settlers in the Palestinian territories," the militants changed.

On Friday, seven Palestinians and three Israelis were killed in eastern Jerusalem and the West Bank in clashes and anti-Israeli attacks. Violence continued into Saturday, particularly in Hebron, where a Palestinian teenager was killed.

On late Saturday, Israeli police evacuated Jewish settlers who took over an Arab building near the Jewish settlement of Kiryat Arba, close to Hebron. The takeover came in response to the killing of an Israeli teacher and a bus driver in a Palestinian ambush near the Jewish settlement.

The Israeli casualties prompted the military to restrict the movement of Palestinians in the West Bank. Military sources said troops surrounded all Palestinian cities and prevented motorists from entering or leaving. The exception was the West Bank city of Kalkilya, which was termed as quiet over the last few days.

In the West Bank city of Tulkarm, a Palestinian women's group demanded that the Palestinian Authority end the use of children in clashes against Israeli forces. It was the first such letter of protest by Palestinians to PA Chairman Yasser Arafat as Palestinian women accuse the PA of transporting children to anti-Israeli protests.

"Our children are being sent into the streets to face heavily armed Israeli soldiers," the Tulkarm Women's Union, a trade union, said. "The Palestinian Authority must put an end to this phenomenon. We urge you to issue instructions to your police force to stop sending innocent children to their death."