Early this morning IDF forces moved into two more PLO villages in an effort to further damage Yasser Arafat’s terrorist infrastructure. The offensive comes despite repeated demands from the US to immediately end \"Operation Defensive Shield\". Israel’s Security Cabinet yesterday voted to continue the military anti-terror campaign and remain in Yesha areas.
The troops, backed by tanks, entered the Arab village of Bir Zeit in the Ramallah district and the Dahariya neighborhood, near Hevron. Soldiers began house-to-house searches for wanted Arab terrorists, and for illegally held weapons.
At the same time, Defense Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer ordered IDF forces out of 24 Arab villages including Kabatiya, near Jenin, and Yatta and Samua, near Hevron. Ben-Eliezer says that the missions in those areas have been completed. During IDF searches in the villages, wanted Arab fugitives were arrested and explosives laboratories and materials were found and destroyed. US government officials praised Israel\'s withdrawal from those areas.
Yesterday Prime Minister Sharon, in an effort to boost moral, addressed a group of soldiers at an army base outside of Jenin. He told the troops that Israel will not carry out a full withdrawal until the Palestinian militias are crushed. He added that unless Israel crushed the terrorists, the phenomenon of suicide bombings, \"Could spread like a plague around the world.\'” Sharon received repeated applause from the soldiers.
The troops, backed by tanks, entered the Arab village of Bir Zeit in the Ramallah district and the Dahariya neighborhood, near Hevron. Soldiers began house-to-house searches for wanted Arab terrorists, and for illegally held weapons.
At the same time, Defense Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer ordered IDF forces out of 24 Arab villages including Kabatiya, near Jenin, and Yatta and Samua, near Hevron. Ben-Eliezer says that the missions in those areas have been completed. During IDF searches in the villages, wanted Arab fugitives were arrested and explosives laboratories and materials were found and destroyed. US government officials praised Israel\'s withdrawal from those areas.
Yesterday Prime Minister Sharon, in an effort to boost moral, addressed a group of soldiers at an army base outside of Jenin. He told the troops that Israel will not carry out a full withdrawal until the Palestinian militias are crushed. He added that unless Israel crushed the terrorists, the phenomenon of suicide bombings, \"Could spread like a plague around the world.\'” Sharon received repeated applause from the soldiers.