RAMALLAH Ñ Israeli troops have seized control of a major Palestinian city in
the West Bank.
Palestinian and Israeli sources said that Israeli troops, tanks and armored personnel carriers have taken over Tulkarm. They said this was the first time Israel's military has captured an entire Palestinian city.
The sources reported light
resistance from Palestinian forces in what they described as a swift
operation on Monday to arrest suspected insurgents and confiscate weapons.
The Israeli operation was said to have begun at around 2 a.m. local time
[1900 hours EST Sunday] and included house-to-house searches, Middle East Newsline reported. Palestinian
sources said the size of the operation indicates that Israeli troops will
remain in the city.
Israeli officials said the military's operation in Tulkarm was in
response to an alert that the Palestinians were planning new attacks against
Israeli civilians. An Israeli military statement said the Palestinian
Authority was informed of the operation and told that official Palestinian
installations would not be targeted.
"This is not an operation defined by time," Israeli Interior Minister
Eli Yishai said. It could take a day or a week."
Last week, six Israelis were killed and more than 30 others were injured
by a Palestinian gunman who burst into a reception hall and sprayed
semi-automatic gunfire at revelers. The Palestinian was attacked by the
Israelis at the reception and killed.
The Fatah movement of PA Chairman Yasser Arafat
claimed responsiblity for the attack. The movement said the attack was in
revenge for the Israeli assassination of a Fatah commander in Tulkarm.
Over the weekend, Israeli forces reinforced positions in Ramallah and
around several West Bank cities. Israeli forces were also operating in the
Gaza Strip and gun battles were reported near the Katif bloc of Jewish
settlements.
Fatah insurgents warned that they will stage new attacks on Israel
unless its forces leave Palestinian areas. They said this would include
suicide bombings.
