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.