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Israel concludes West Bank offensive

Special to World Tribune.com
MIDDLE EAST NEWSLINE
Monday, April 22, 2002

RAMALLAH Ñ Israel appears to have ended its military campaign in the West Bank.

Israeli troops, tanks and armored personnel carriers have been withdrawing from major cities in the West Bank over the weekend. They include Hebron, Jenin, Kalkilya, Nablus and Tulkarm.

In other cities, such as Bethlehem and Ramallah, Israeli forces have been reduced. But Israeli troops are remaining around the Ramallah headquarters of Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat and Bethlehem's Church of Nativity, the latter where about 150 Palestinian insurgents have taken shelter.

Israeli military sources said Operation Defensive Shield has ended after three weeks of fighting. They said 29 Israeli soldiers were killed and more than 100 were injured, most of them in Jenin.

About 200 Palestinians were believed to have been killed in the Israeli offensive. Military sources said no more than 20 percent of Palestinian insurgents sought by Israel were captured. They said many leading insurgents fled into the West Bank hills during the operation.

The exceptions were the capture of Fatah leader Marwan Barghouti, who heads the Al Aqsa Martyr Brigades. Barghouti's deputy, Nasser Abu Hmeid, was also arrested.

The Israeli withdrawal from West Bank cities took place as military tensions continued to rise in the Gaza Strip. Heavy fighting was reported on Sunday between Israeli forces and Palestinian insurgents along the Rafah border crossing with Egypt.

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