- Title: WEST BANK: ISRAELI ARMY MOUNTS ARREST SWEEP AND BLOWS UP THE HOUSE OF A MILITANT
- Date: 2nd December 2003
- Summary: (U2) RAMALLAH, WEST BANK (DECEMBER 1, 2003) (REUTERS) 1. SLV ISRAELI TROOPS AND JEEPS IN STREETS; WALKING IN MASYOON AREA; MV SOLDIERS TELLING CAMERAMEN TO LEAVE AREA; SLV ARMOURED VEHICLES IN STREET (10 SHOTS) 2.00 HEBRON, WEST BANK (DECEMBER, 2003) (REUTERS) 2. SLV HOUSE BEING BLOWN UP; SLV EXTERIOR OF DAMAGED HOUSE (6 SHOTS) 3.07
- Embargoed: 17th December 2003 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: RAMALLAH AND HEBRON, WEST BANK
- City:
- Country: Palestinian Territories
- Reuters ID: LVA1YFN6IXYIHBTO4NCTCO0CFUKO
- Story Text: Israeli army mounts arrest sweep in Ramallah, blows
up militant's house in Hebron.
Israeli soldiers launched house-to-house searches
before dawn on Monday (December 1), rounding up dozens of
suspected militants in the West Bank city of Ramallah.
The raid shattered a relative calm that had taken hold
amid efforts by the United States to revive talks under the
"road map" peace plan and arrange a meeting between Israeli
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and the new Palestinian Prime
Minister Ahmed Qurie.
Troops arrived in dozens of jeeps and the sounds of
explosions and gunfire were heard in Ramallah's Masyon
district.
Ramallah is the city where Palestinian President Yasser
Arafat has been besieged for months in his headquarters,
but the military raid did not cover that area of the city,
the security source and witnesses said.
Israel Radio reported that soldiers blew up a weapons
workshop in a raid targeting Hamas, an Islamic militant
group involved in staging suicide bombings that have killed
hundreds of Israelis in the past three years.
An Israeli military source said soldiers launched "a
wide operation for arrests" in Ramallah early on Monday
(December 1) and were searching house-to-house for
militants suspected of involvement in planning or carrying
out attacks against Israelis.
The Israeli army made no official statement about the
arrests and the source could not say how many suspects were
being held.
Palestinian security officials said dozens of men under
40 were taken out of their homes in several neighbourhoods
of Ramallah and the neighbouring al-Amari refugee camp.
They could not say how many of these men were arrested.
In the Masyon neighbourhood, witnesses saw soldiers
shooting at a large building but it was not clear whether
any clashes between the troops and militants was taking
place.
In Hebron, troops blew up the house a Hamas militant who
was killed four months ago by Israeli troops.
- Copyright Holder: REUTERS
- Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2015. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
- Usage Terms/Restrictions: None