Israeli army to lift Jenin blockade

[JohnLocke]

Israeli army to lift Jenin blockade
ABC News

The Israeli Army has announced it will lift its blockade on the northern West Bank town of Jenin as part of a package of measures to make life easier for Palestinians.
On Thursday evening, Israeli armored cars were still maintaining roadblocks on all entry roads to the town preventing residents from circulating freely, an AFP correspondent said.
Only the main northern West Bank city of Nablus remains under formal Israeli blockade, although in practice numerous Israeli roadblocks across the territory make travel extremely difficult for Palestinians.
The Israeli Army's announcement came as Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak's top aide Osama al-Baz was in the West Bank for talks with Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat on reviving the flagging Middle East peace process.

Read the rest here.

[Resistance]

1. what??

"a package of measures to make life easier for Palestinians"

They've been murdering Palestinians left and right, bulldozing homes and generally making life for Palestinians as miserable as possible, yet the lifting of a blockade in Palestinian territory is considered this good-samaritan type measure.

It is like saying Hamas suicide attacks have decreased recently because Hamas wants to make life easier on Israelis. What comedians are back there writing this junk?

[JohnLocke]

2. Even when Israel takes steps toward things you want them to do....

You're still never satisfied.

[Name removed]

3. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[madrchsod]

4. "a gift to them at that" ????

i`m glad that sharon really has their "best interests" at heart. maybe peace will come when the people of israel wake up and decide they have walled themselves in. then maybe they`ll look at themselves and wonder why they let sharon and all his thugs do this to them..someday they will tear down the wall and say never again.

[Gimel]

5. Looks like

some perceptions of Israeli objectives are skewed.

[Jack Rabbit]

6. Update (Friday morning)

From the BBC Online
Dated Friday January 2 11:53 GMT (3:53 am PST)

Israeli army pulls out of Jenin

Israeli troops have pulled out of the West Bank city of Jenin, lifting a blockade imposed in August last year.
Troops dismantled roadblocks and tanks pulled back, opening up routes between the city's eight entrances and surrounding villages, residents said.
The army said the move followed a reassessment of the security situation.

Read more.

[JohnLocke]

7. Kick

[Aidoneus]

8. Israeli forces return to Jenin

so much for the PR blitz..

Israeli forces return to Jenin
Saturday 03 January 2004

Israeli occupation soldiers have invaded the northern West Bank City of Jenin, hours after the Israeli military announced that it had pulled troops out of the city.

Media reports stated that occupation troops had dismantled roadblocks and tanks had been pulled back, opening up routes between the city's eight entrances and surrounding villages.

However, residents of Jenin painted a different picture to Aljazeera.net.

"They have been moving their soldiers and tanks into Jenin all night, the number of troops in the city has increased. The Israelis are lying when they say that their soldiers are leaving the area, this is propoganda," said a local man who did not want to be named for fear of reprisals from occupation troops.

--snip--

Elsewhere in the West Bank Israeli soldiers demolished historical buildings in the al-Qaryun district, in the Old City quarters of Nablus, claiming they were looking for tunnels where resistance fighters take refuge.

Huge Israeli bulldozers demolished the buildings, eyewitnesses told Aljazeera. Explosions were later heard in several areas in the city, they added.

A Palestinian youngster was killed on Saturday when Israeli troops opened fire on demonstrators in the northern West Bank city of Nablus.

--snip--

http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/57AEC6C2-C8FA-47B1-92CA-F1109653173F.htm

[Aidoneus]

9. Three teenagers killed in Nablus

Three teenagers killed in Nablus
By Shaista Aziz
Saturday 03 January 2004

Three Palestinian youths have been killed by Israeli occupation soldiers in the northern West Bank city of Nablus, Palestinian medical sources have confirmed.

Aljazeera's correspondent in the West Bank reported that a 15 year- old was among those killed when occupation forces opened fire on a group of stone throwing youngsters in the al-Shaikh Musallam district of Nablus.

Nablus has been under total Israeli curfew for five days according to the Palestinian Red Crescent Society which says its ambulance crews have been denied access to the al- Qarun area of the city.

Locals living in the old city quarters of Nablus told Aljazeera.net that occupation soldiers were searching houses and making arrests.

"The soldiers have been making many arrests and they have been using explosive devices to blast their way into the houses," said the man.

--snip--

http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/57AEC6C2-C8FA-47B1-92CA-F1109653173F.htm

------------------------------------------------------------

Last Update: 03/01/2004 12:24
Palestinians: 3 killed in Nablus; 14 arrested in West Bank
By Haaretz Service and Agencies

Palestinian medics said that Israel Defense Forces troops shot dead three Palestinians, among them two teenagers, during a confrontation with stone-throwing protesters in the West Bank city of Nablus early Saturday.

Palestinian eyewitnesses said the fire killed three men, including one passer-by. Hospital and Red Crescent officials identified the dead as Rohi Hazam Shoman, 19; Amar Arafat, 26; and Amjad al-Masri, 15.

Amjad al-Masri and Rohi Shoman were shot in the chest in separate incidents, medics said. Both died of their injuries at nearby Rafidiyeh hopital.

Amar Arafat was pronounced dead on arrival with a gunshot wound in the back sustained in a third confrontation with soldiers, hospital officials and medics said.

An IDF spokesman said troops opened fire at a large number of Palestinian stone-throwers. The spokesman said soldiers confirmed three men had been hit, but were unaware of their condition.

--snip--

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/378976.html