RAMALLAH Ñ Israel's military has launched what officials called the
second stage of its offensive in the West Bank with the goal of using recent intelligence to preempt new suicide attacks.
On Saturday, Israeli troops entered the Jelazoun refugee camp north of
Ramallah. Palestinian sources also reported an Israeli raid of the Gaza
Strip city of Khan Yunis, Middle East Newsline reported.
Israeli officials said the new offensive seeks to capitalize on the
intelligence obtained through the capture of official documents and strongholds. They said
the current raids on West Bank cities are meant to capture
fugitives and foil a resurgence of Palestinian attacks.
The sources said the current Israeli military offensive has foiled at
least one suicide attack per day. They said Palestinian insurgents are
intent on renewing suicide bombings in Israeli cities to demonstrate that
they have not been harmed by the massive Israeli offensive launched in West
Bank cities since March 29.
Over the weekend, Israeli troops and armored vehicles operated in the
West Bank city of Tulkarm. Military sources said the Israeli force captured
suspected Palestinian insurgents who escaped during the first incursion in
Tulkarm last month.
Israeli Defense Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer said the Palestinian
territories are on the verge of another explosion. He called for a
dialogue between Israel and the Palestinians to resume a diplomatic process.
Israel employed 31,000 reservists as well as tens of thousands of troops
from the standing army for the first stage of the offensive. The military
has pulled out from all the West Bank cities with the exception of
Bethlehem, where a standoff continues between Israeli troops and Palestinian
insurgents at the Church of Nativity.
Over the weekend, Jordanian sources said authorities had foiled a
Palestinian operation to smuggle weapons for an attack on the southern
Israeli port of Eilat. The sources said one Palestinian was killed and
others were arrested in a raid of the Jordanian port of Aqaba, which yielded
120 rocket-propelled grenades as well as rockets and semi-automatic weapons.
