Israel Nabs Top Militants At Home
Israeli soldiers hunting militiamen in the West Bank killed six Palestinians on Thursday — four gunmen, an unarmed teenager and an apparent bystander, officials on both sides said. Five Israeli soldiers were wounded.
One of those killed was a senior Islamic militant, reports CBS News Correspondent Robert Berger.
An elite anti-terrorist unit of Israeli commandos raided the home of a local commander of the Islamic Jihad group in the West Bank, and ordered him to surrender. Hamza Abu Roub, 37, sent out his wife and children and a short time later he started shooting at the soldiers, drawing massive return fire. Abu Roub was killed, and one Israeli soldier seriously wounded. Troops blew up Abu Roub's home and then pulled out.
In the town Tulkarem, Israeli soldiers killed Jamal Nader, 28, a local leader of the Al Aqsa Martyrs' Brigade, a militia linked to Yasser Arafat's Fatah movement.
Both Abu Roub and Nader, the militiaman from Tulkarem, were at their homes even though they were fugitives.
It was once rare for Israel to find senior Palestinian militants at home, but they're finding it more difficult to take refuge in the homes of supporters who fear their homes will be demolished. Israel's policy of demolishing the homes of terrorists and those who harbor them has been condemned internationally, but it appears that it is beginning to have the desired effect of deterrence.
An Israeli official, meanwhile, confirmed that the military has begun setting up buffer zones around Jewish settlements in the West Bank to keep out Palestinian attackers. Palestinian officials complained that Israel was further expanding settlements with such fenced-in no-go zones.
Despite the threat of an Iraqi attack, Israel has decided not to vaccinate the public against smallpox.
Berger reports Israel had considered vaccinating its entire population of 6.6 million people against smallpox, amid fears that Iraq would attack the Jewish state with biological weapons. However, after consultations with both Israeli and American security officials, the Health Ministry concluded that Iraq probably does not have the smallpox virus or the capability to use it in an attack on Israel. Still, Israel has enough vaccine for the entire population — just in case.
Thursday's violence came a day after Palestinian Christians observed what some said was their dreariest Christmas ever, with Israeli tanks surrounding the West Bank town of Bethlehem, Jesus' traditional birthplace.
In the town of Ramallah, Israeli soldiers trying to arrest two wanted men killed one in a firefight and captured the second, an Israeli military official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. Palestinian hospital officials said an apparent bystander was also killed in the fighting. The slain wanted man was tentatively identified as Bassam Lutfi, an activist in the Islamic militant group Hamas.
Also Thursday, in the West Bank city of Nablus, Israeli soldiers searching for wanted men killed a Palestinian gunman in a firefight in the downtown area, or Casbah, the army said. An Israeli soldier was lightly wounded.
Later Thursday, soldiers re-imposed a curfew on Nablus — a routine measure since troops reoccupied the city in June. Hundreds of Palestinians threw stones at soldiers who opened fire, killing a Palestinian teenager, witnesses said.
The teenager, who witnesses said was carrying books and was not involved in stone-throwing, was killed by a shot in the stomach, hospital sources said. The army was checking the report.
The Israeli army reoccupied every major West Bank Palestinian town or city, except Jericho, in the summer in response to a deadly wave of suicide bombings and attacks against Israelis.
Jewish settlements in the West Bank and Gaza have frequently been targeted by Palestinian militants, with gunmen cutting through perimeter fences.
Election polls show that the corruption scandal has cut into the Likud lead, but Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's party is still far enough ahead to make him the clear front-runner for prime minister.
The latest poll, published in the Haaretz newspaper Thursday, indicated that Likud is holding steady with 35 parliament seats, after dropping from an estimated 41 when the scandal first made headlines earlier this month.
The Labor Party would win 22 seats in the 120-member parliament, down from 26 today. The poll has an error margin of 4.3 percentage points.
Raanan Gissin, an adviser to Sharon, confirmed Thursday that the Israeli army has begun establishing wider buffer zones around West Bank settlements to keep out attackers.
The zones will have beefed up patrols and special observation towers, Gissin said, but refused to detail what other special measures will be taken.
"It's part of the overall measures the IDF (Israeli Defense Forces) is taking to protect settlers," Gissin said. "It's just to ensure that you have a forward defense deployment so you don't engage the terrorists inside the compound or inside the village, you try to intercept them outside the fence."
According to the Haaretz newspaper, special rules of engagement will apply in these buffer zones and soldiers will be allowed to immediately fire on anyone trying to penetrate the area. Normally, soldiers have to fire in the air before shooting directly at a suspect.
Palestinian Cabinet minister Saeb Erekat said the buffer zones are a further attempt by Sharon to expand settlements and sabotage a U.S.-backed peace plan which envisions Palestinian statehood by 2005. "Sharon wants to make sure by 2005 that it will be impossible to create a Palestinian state because of the settlements," Erekat said.
More than 200,000 Israelis live in more than 150 Jewish settlements scattered across the West Bank and Gaza. Palestinians view the settlers — many of them armed — as legitimate targets in their struggle for independence.