Jerusalem, December 4, 2001
Declaring the Palestinian Authority as a “terrorist supporting entity”, Israel today launched second wave of strikes in as many days with its helicopter gunships pounding Palestinian targets in West Bank and Gaza, including Yasser Arafat’s headquarters, in Ramallah but he escaped unhurt.
At least two persons were killed and some 120 injured, 60 of them students, in the strikes on eight Palestinian security buildings.
The Israeli army in a statement said warplanes and combat helicopters fired missiles at the headquarters of Arafat’s Force-17 Residential Guards in the Gaza Strip and its training camps in Gaza City.
The strikes came hours after the Israeli Cabinet called Mr Arafat’s Palestinian Authority a “terrorist supporting entity” that must be dealt with.
Reacting angrily to the attacks, Mr Arafat accused Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon of trying to sabotage his efforts to deal with terrorism by launching the air strikes on Palestinian targets.
The Israeli Cabinet meeting which lasted for six hours this morning branded the Palestinian Authority as a “terrorist-supporting entity”. However, the Cabinet decision has caused fissures in Ariel Sharon’s coalition government. Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres is reportedly considering whether his Labour’s Party should continue in the government. Mr Peres criticised the Cabinet decision saying it had in effect decided to destroy the Palestinian Authority. AFP, PTI
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