Hamas Infiltrators Killed By Israel
Israeli soldiers Monday killed three Palestinians, two of them armed Hamas fighters, and troops destroyed several houses, leaving more than 100 people homeless in separate confrontations in the Gaza Strip, Palestinians said.
Earlier, Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat said Osama bin Laden was harming the Palestinian cause and should stop invoking it to justify attacks by his al Qaeda movement.
Israeli troops killed two Palestinian gunmen as they tried to infiltrate Israel from the Gaza Strip, reports CBS News Correspondent Robert Berger. The army said grenades, ammunition and bombs were found with the bodies. Palestinians said the dead men were members of the Islamic militant group Hamas.
"I can see from my farm here two bodies lying in the battle zone. One of them is wearing a military uniform," Ali Ismail, a farmer who lives in the area said. He said a gun battle raged for hours.
Near the Jewish settlement of Neve Dekalim in the Gaza Strip, Israeli troops said there were fierce firefights throughout the night. A third Palestinian was killed in the fighting. His family members said he had gone out during the night to check the irrigation system on the family farm and his body was found in the morning.
In Rafah, a flashpoint for violence near the Gaza-Egypt border, Israeli soldiers demolished 16 houses, leaving more than 100 people homeless, said Saed Zoarab, the refugee camp's mayor. Officials have not been able to reach the area because soldiers constantly fire on people who pass by, he added.
The army said the buildings were abandoned structures used by Palestinian gunmen as cover when firing on soldiers and detonating explosives. Palestinians are not allowed to enter the area, which is very close to the Jewish settlement of Morag, the army added.
Meanwhile, Arafat rejected al Qaeda support for the Palestinian cause.
After twin terrorist attacks aimed at Israelis in Kenya last month, al Qaeda claimed responsibility and dedicated the operation to the Palestinians. But Arafat, who has been battling an Israeli attempt to lump the Palestinian struggle in with the al Qaeda campaign against the West, rejected the gesture.
"I'm telling him (bin Laden) directly not to hide behind the Palestinian cause," Arafat said in an interview published in the London Sunday Times.
Bin Laden "never helped us, he was working in another completely different area and against our interests," Arafat said.
Recently the Israelis claimed that al Qaeda members had infiltrated the Gaza Strip, but the Palestinians hotly denied that.
Arafat aide Ahmed Abdel Rahman said, "We don't want our just cause to be used as a cover by (Israeli Prime Minister Ariel) Sharon and his government to continue their escalation — as though if the U.S. is fighting al Qaeda in Afghanistan, so Israel is fighting al Qaeda in Palestine."
Israel Sunday official barred Yasser Arafat from Christmas Eve celebrations in Bethlehem for the second straight year because of his alleged involvement in terrorism, reports Berger. Also, Israel's military chief told the Cabinet ministers troops would remain in the town of Jesus' birth throughout the holiday because of security threats.
The Palestinians, who take great pride in hosting the Christmas services in Manger Square that attract Christian pilgrims from around the world, sharply criticized the Israeli ban.
"The Israeli decision...is a violation of their promises to the American administration, the Vatican and the pope," said Nabil Abu Rdeneh, Arafat's spokesman. "All the excuses that they give are lies and are rejected."
Arafat is a Muslim, but since returning from exile and becoming head of the Palestinian Authority, he regularly attended the Christmas celebrations in Bethlehem, beginning in 1995.
"I believe the Israeli decision to prevent President Arafat from reaching Bethlehem is a major escalation," said Palestinian cabinet minister Saab Erekat.
Last Christmas, Israel prevented Arafat — whom it blamed for failing to prevent terrorist attacks — from traveling the 12 miles from Ramallah to Bethlehem.
Israeli soldiers have occupied all main Palestinian cities and towns in the West Bank, except for Jericho, for most of the past six months in an attempt to stop Palestinian suicide bombings and other attacks.
Israeli Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz was meeting with senior U.S. officials in Washington Monday, including Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, to coordinate preparations for a possible American attack on Iraq. Israel wants the U.S. to provide real-time satellite photos of the possible launch of Iraqi missiles at the Jewish state, reports Berger The U.S. and Israel plan to hold war games here next month, to test out new American and Israeli-made anti-missile systems.