Prime Minister Ariel Sharon rejects - for now - the increasing international calls for Israel to withdraw from the PA-controlled cities in Judea and Samaria. The UN Security Council passed a resolution last night, at the United States\' behest, calling for Israel to withdraw \"without delay;\" this is an emendation of a previous UN call for an \"immediate\" withdrawal. In addition, U.S. President Bush called upon Israel yesterday to withdraw from the PA-controlled cities (see below).
Communications Minister Ruby Rivlin said today that the IDF anti-terrorism operations will continue, as will the siege on Arafat in Ramallah. There has also been no change in Bethlehem, where dozens of terrorists are using the Church of the Nativity as their safe-haven; they have also taken many priests as hostages. President Moshe Katzav, too, said that Israel must not cave in to international pressure nor change its military plans because of external or internal political considerations.
Some Israeli sources have said, however, that the IDF is intensifying its activities and changing its timetable in the wake of the intensifying world pressure. Shechem, for instance, was captured on Wednesday night, earlier than planned. U.S. President Bush\'s announcement that he will dispatch Secretary of State Powell to Israel late next week will mark a critical juncture in Israel\'s anti-terrorism campaign.
Heavy fighting in Shechem and Jenin continued today nonetheless; some 18 Arab terrorists have reportedly been killed there since the beginning of the fighting. Soldiers in Bitunya, west of Ramallah, found an arms cache last night containing 250 rifles, many submachine guns, 400 pistols, and more. As opposed to Ramallah, where the Arabs barely resisted the Israelis, the Moslems of Jenin have stationed snipers and placed hundreds of car bombs and other explosives. One Israeli paratrooper was seriously wounded in Shechem early this morning. Two soldiers were wounded today, one moderately, during IDF operations in terrorist-stronghold villages in the northern Jordan Valley.
The IDF\'s Operation Protective Wall has so far brought about the arrest of some 900 Arabs of Judea and Samaria, including hundreds of wanted terrorist fugitives, and the confiscation of 50 bombs, many submachine guns, dozens of crates of ammunition, dozens of kilograms of explosives, 1,300 rifles, and much more. IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Sha\'ul Mofaz said yesterday that at least four more weeks are required to complete the missions.
American mediator Gen. Anthony Zinni is meeting this afternoon with arch-terrorist Arafat in the Ramallah compound. Prime Minister Sharon yesterday rejected the European Union\'s request to meet with Arafat, but granted permission to Zinni to do so. The meeting followed a phone call by U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell to Arafat. Also today, Prime Minister Sharon permitted a Red Cross medical delegation to visit Arafat and his terrorist-colleagues; if any of the latter require medical attention, they will be hospitalized.
Communications Minister Ruby Rivlin said today that the IDF anti-terrorism operations will continue, as will the siege on Arafat in Ramallah. There has also been no change in Bethlehem, where dozens of terrorists are using the Church of the Nativity as their safe-haven; they have also taken many priests as hostages. President Moshe Katzav, too, said that Israel must not cave in to international pressure nor change its military plans because of external or internal political considerations.
Some Israeli sources have said, however, that the IDF is intensifying its activities and changing its timetable in the wake of the intensifying world pressure. Shechem, for instance, was captured on Wednesday night, earlier than planned. U.S. President Bush\'s announcement that he will dispatch Secretary of State Powell to Israel late next week will mark a critical juncture in Israel\'s anti-terrorism campaign.
Heavy fighting in Shechem and Jenin continued today nonetheless; some 18 Arab terrorists have reportedly been killed there since the beginning of the fighting. Soldiers in Bitunya, west of Ramallah, found an arms cache last night containing 250 rifles, many submachine guns, 400 pistols, and more. As opposed to Ramallah, where the Arabs barely resisted the Israelis, the Moslems of Jenin have stationed snipers and placed hundreds of car bombs and other explosives. One Israeli paratrooper was seriously wounded in Shechem early this morning. Two soldiers were wounded today, one moderately, during IDF operations in terrorist-stronghold villages in the northern Jordan Valley.
The IDF\'s Operation Protective Wall has so far brought about the arrest of some 900 Arabs of Judea and Samaria, including hundreds of wanted terrorist fugitives, and the confiscation of 50 bombs, many submachine guns, dozens of crates of ammunition, dozens of kilograms of explosives, 1,300 rifles, and much more. IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Sha\'ul Mofaz said yesterday that at least four more weeks are required to complete the missions.
American mediator Gen. Anthony Zinni is meeting this afternoon with arch-terrorist Arafat in the Ramallah compound. Prime Minister Sharon yesterday rejected the European Union\'s request to meet with Arafat, but granted permission to Zinni to do so. The meeting followed a phone call by U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell to Arafat. Also today, Prime Minister Sharon permitted a Red Cross medical delegation to visit Arafat and his terrorist-colleagues; if any of the latter require medical attention, they will be hospitalized.