VARIOUS: VIOLENCE CONTINUES IN PALESTINIAN TERRITORIES AS ISRAELI MISSILE STRIKE KILLS TWO PALESTINIAN MILITANTS AND PALESTINIANS KILL THREE SUSPECTED COLLABORATORS

Record ID: 400717

  • Title: VARIOUS: VIOLENCE CONTINUES IN PALESTINIAN TERRITORIES AS ISRAELI MISSILE STRIKE KILLS TWO PALESTINIAN MILITANTS AND PALESTINIANS KILL THREE SUSPECTED COLLABORATORS
  • Date: 24th April 2002
  • Summary: (W8) HEBRON, WEST BANK (APRIL 22, 2002) (REUTERS) 1. SLV FIREMEN PUTTING FIRE OUT; MV BURNING CAR; MV PEOPLE TRYING TO GET CLOSER TO CAR AND PUSHED BACK BY EMERGENCY WORKERS (2 SHOTS) 0.13 2. MV BODIES; MV WOUNDED BEING CARRIED OUT; SCU MAN CRYING; SLV PEOPLE 0.34 SHOTS 1 - 2 REPEATED 1.08 (U3) HEBRON, WEST BANK (APRIL 23, 2002) (
  • Embargoed: 9th May 2002 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: HEBRON, BETHLEHEM, WEST BANK, GAZA
  • City:
  • Country: Palestinian Territories
  • Reuters ID: LVA1VLTKS7QPLBQO1XFTGUJ8S96J
  • Story Text: Israeli and Palestinian negotiators have met to try and
    end a three-week-old standoff at Bethlehem's Church of the Nativity.

    But violence has continued in the Palestinian
    territories, at the scene of an overnight Israeli missile
    strike in Hebron that killed two Palestinian militants, gunmen
    have shot dead three men suspected of collaborating with
    Israel.

    Hours after the helicopter missile attack on a car in
    the West Bank city of Hebron, hooded gunmen dragged three men
    accused of collaborating with Israel to the scene and shot
    them dead. Crowds of Palestinians gathered to view the bodies.

    Men, women and children spat at the bodies as they were
    dragged through the streets. They were then strung up on
    electricity poles.

    Hours later thousands attended the funeral of Marwan
    Zuloum, a local commander of the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, who
    was killed in the Israeli helicopter missile strike.

    It was the first such attack since troops and tanks pulled
    out of most West Bank cities to positions encircling them on
    Sunday.

    The killing of suspected collaborators in Hebron followed
    similar shootings of three men in Ramallah on Monday, one of
    whom died of his wounds.

    Fierce gun battles raged on Monday (April 22) night around
    the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, the scene of a three
    week stand off between dozens of Palestinian militants holed
    up inside the holy site and Israeli armed forces surrounding
    the area.

    But on Tuesday (April 23) after the first direct talks
    between Israeli and Palestinian negotiators on the standoff
    Palestinian negotiators said they had made progress.

    "We feel we are coming close, hopefully, to solving the
    issue of the Church," Palestinian legislator Salah Taamari
    told reporters after the talks. "It was a constructive
    meeting, we exchanged points of view and negotiations will
    continue as I told you at 6 o'clock p.m. (1500 GMT)," he said.

    Dozens of Palestinian gunmen took refuge in the church,
    built on the spot where Christians believe Jesus was born,
    when Israeli troops reoccupied the Palestinian-ruled city on
    April 2 as part of a West Bank offensive unleashed after
    suicide bombings that killed scores of Israelis.

    Israel has said it will keep up its siege of the sanctuary
    until wanted militants inside surrender to face trial in
    Israel or exile. Palestinians have previously rejected these
    terms.

    Troops still besieged Arafat's compound in Ramallah, where
    U.S. envoy William Burns held what Palestinians said were
    unproductive talks with their leader on Monday (April 22).

    But Burns told reporters after the meeting that the talks
    were "useful".

    "I had what I thought was a very useful and straighforward
    discussion with chairman Arafat earlier today. I emphasised to
    him, as Secretary Powell did - publicly yesterday the
    American commitment to completion of Israeli withdrawal and to
    the urgent, non-violent resolution of the situations around
    the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem as well as around the
    Presidential compound here in Ramallah," Burns said.

    As Burns, assistant secretary of state for the Near East,
    arrived to meet Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon on
    Tuesday, thousands of pro-Palestinian protesters marched in
    Gaza chanting anti-Israeli and anti-American slogans. The
    protesters burnt Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and
    American President's George Bush effigies and set fire to
    American and Israeli flags.


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