Under intense pressure from the US, Prime Minister Ariel
Sharon ordered the IDF to begin pulling out of Kalkilya and
Tulkarm. The redeployment began after repeated statements
over several days by US President Bush that Israel must begin
its withdrawal "without delay."
The IDF will soon begin a staggered withdrawal from other
areas in the Palestinian Authority, according to military
sources. At the same time the campaign is being continued
elsewhere as fierce fighting continued in Jenin, and there
was a continuing standoff around the Christian churches in
Bethlehem.
Hundreds of Palestinian gunmen surrendered to the IDF in
Nablus Monday as the casbah at the center of the city fell.
The army said it found a large bomb laboratory in the casbah.
The army was searching its many tunnels and hideouts and is
expected to uncover more weapons caches.
The IDF started to move into small villages and to search the
countryside in search of terrorists. Over four IDF divisions
are operating in the West Bank, maintaining a tight closure,
patrolling roads, and guarding settlements.
Altogether about 2,000 Palestinians have been detained so far
and 600 of them were later released. About 500 of those
detained were wanted for involvement in terrorist attacks,
and about 70 are senior terrorists, according to military
sources.
Two Golani Brigade soldiers were killed in Jenin. The fallen
soldiers were identified as St.-Sgt. Matanya Robinson, 21, of
Kibbutz Tirat Tzvi, affiliated with the Mizrachi movement,
and Sgt. Shmuel Weiss, 19, of Kiryat Arba. Four soldiers were
wounded in Jenin, including one severely.
Scores of Palestinian gunmen, believed to be mostly members
of Islamic Jihad, and an unknown number of civilians, were
holed up there and were refusing all efforts to get them to
surrender.
Fighting has been fierce in Jenin and efforts to clear out
the camp have cost the IDF dearly. Nachal and reserve units
were also participating in the battle. The army brought in
bulldozers to level some structures. The Palestinians set off
dozens of homemade bombs during the day and reportedly
knocked out one of the armored bulldozers.
"There will be very many dead. Scores. It could be more than
100," an army spokesman said. The army said it had tried to
arrange a cease-fire with the gunmen to remove bodies, but
the gunman refused.
"These are suiciders and terrorists who are doing everything
they can to harm IDF soldiers," said Chief of General Staff
Lt.-Gen. Shaul Mofaz.
"The fighting in the Jenin refugee camp was different than in
the Nablus casbah, and they were both different from anything
we have seen until now," said a senior IDF officer.
In his address to the Knesset on Monday about the situation,
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon issued a plea to "responsible and
moderate" Arab leaders to accept an invitation to meet with
him to discuss a framework for Middle East peace.
Sharon said the US must serve as the coordinator of such an
effort, and he would "go anywhere, without preconditions from
any side, to talk about peace."
Sharon said the recent wave of suicide bombings had been
delivered by Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat --
the person who "promised in a series of agreements" to
abandon terror and to fight against it. "He has broken all of
his promises," Sharon said.
Sharon said he doubts there is a chance to "jump directly
from a violent struggle to a permanent settlement." He
therefore proposed steps be made toward comprehensive Middle
East peace by first advancing toward a "long-term interim
arrangement" that will determine the form of neighborly
relations between Israel and the Palestinians.
During the interim stage, he said the Palestinians can
rebuild their society and economy and prepare for peaceful
relations and the establishment of permanent borders.
In a message to the Palestinian people, Sharon said Israel
does not have a war with them, and wants to see them live in
peace. "Your fate is in your hands," he said.
He also said every time Israel has extended a hand of peace
to Arafat and pulled back its forces, it was met with more
terror attacks. He added Israel had accepted the Mitchell
Report, even though it "entails painful concessions," gave up
on seven days of nonviolence, and cooperated with the efforts
of UN envoy Anthony Zinni. Arafat, for his part, has rejected
all of Zinni's proposals, Sharon added.
Meanwhile, in the north of Israel, Hizbullah terrorists
continue their shooting at IDF outposts in the Mount Dov
region slowly crossing more and more military lines. IDF
gunners respond with heavy artillery fire and IAF planes bomb
suspected Hizbullah targets.
The attacks were broadcast live by Hizbullah's Manar
television station, indicating pre-planning.
The latest attacks followed the widespread bombardments by
Hizbullah Sunday night in which seven soldiers -- including
five women -- were wounded.
The IDF blamed the deterioration on the Lebanese government
and Syria, the controlling power in Lebanon.
If the escalation by Hizbullah and Palestinian terrorist
groups continues, the IDF will have to respond more
extensively, though this is what Hizbullah apparently is
seeking.
"Hizbullah in the past few days, in an effort to deflect the
IDF from its main mission, has initiated a series of
incidents in the North, even up to opening a second front,"
said General Mofaz.
He stressed that the IDF has more than sufficient forces to
deal with the situation in the North, and everything
necessary would be done to protect residents in the
region.
Brig.-Gen. Shuki Shihor, chief of staff of Northern Command,
told a press conference Hizbullah has placed thousands of
missiles along the northern border capable of reaching
Zichron Yaakov, some 30 kilometers south of Haifa.
