The situation in Beit Jala/Gilo has reached a crescendo, with the firing of three mortar rockets into central Gilo last night and today. They caused no injuries, but one landed between the community center and a school, narrowly missing the dozens of people in the vicinity, while a second landed this afternoon atop a residential building. Shooting at Gilo also continued throughout the night and morning today, mostly from the direction of Bethlehem. High-powered bullets fired into the neighborhood last night struck a television van during an interview with Jerusalem Mayor Olmert, who has demonstratively taken up residence in Gilo; no one was hurt. The morning was quiet, except for the early morning, when shots caused damage to a stairwell in one building. The IDF spokesman emphasizes that the shooting of the past day has come not from Beit Jala, where IDF tanks and forces have been since late Monday night, but from Bethlehem and the nearby El Aide refugee camp.
There was great uncertainty today over the IDF presence in Beit Jala, source of previous attacks, from the standpoints of both effectiveness and future plans. Some, such as IDF Coordinator of Activities in Judea, Samaria & Gaza Maj.-Gen. Amos Gilad, viewed the mission as having accomplished it goals. Others, such as former Foreign Minister Shlomo Ben-Ami, said that it merely diverted the source of the shooting from Beit Jala to nearby areas. Still others, such as Col. (res.) Moshe Givati, said that the mission was not sufficiently comprehensive, and that the entire Bethlehem-Beit Jala area should be taken and cleansed of its weapons in one fell swoop. Herut MK Michael Kleiner went even further, saying that the entire area of the Palestinian Authority must be conquered.
Amidst the uncertainty, Israeli security sources confirmed PA reports that Yasser Arafat had issued a \"stop-shooting\" order regarding all fire towards Gilo. The order is said to have gone into effect at 2:30 PM this afternoon, although it was not clear if it included shooting at other Jerusalem areas such as Har Homa, and which terrorist organizations would abide by it. Palestinian sources reported that Israeli forces would accordingly leave Beit Jala at midnight tonight, but this was not confirmed by the Israelis. However, it should be noted that Foreign Minister Shimon Peres said that the Israeli presence in Beit Jala, designed to \"defend Jerusalem,\" would come to an end \"only if the shooting and mortar attacks against Gilo cease completely.\" The last recorded incident of shooting occurred shortly before 2 PM.
Bursts of fire have been heard from the direction of Beit Jala all afternoon, but correspondents on the scene say that these are apparently clashes between Arabs and Israeli soldiers within Beit Jala itself.
A young mother told Arutz-7\'s Benny Toker today about the mortar shell that had fallen on her building on Te\'enah St. in Gilo just a few minutes before: \"I was at home with my two-year-old when I heard a very loud noise. My other son was not home, so I began quickly looking around for him. He was already quite unnerved from the shooting of last night, and was constantly throwing up in reaction... It appears to be a miracle that no one was hurt... Everyone here is upset and up in arms, and though we\'re trying to keep to our routine, it\'s very hard for the children.\" Local residents are very apprehensive about the beginning of the school year, which is set for this Sunday. As one seven-year-old girl said, \"Our classroom was supposed to be on the top floor, but because of the shooting, they moved us downstairs. What, we should go to school in a place two meters away from where a mortar shell fell [last night]?\"
There was great uncertainty today over the IDF presence in Beit Jala, source of previous attacks, from the standpoints of both effectiveness and future plans. Some, such as IDF Coordinator of Activities in Judea, Samaria & Gaza Maj.-Gen. Amos Gilad, viewed the mission as having accomplished it goals. Others, such as former Foreign Minister Shlomo Ben-Ami, said that it merely diverted the source of the shooting from Beit Jala to nearby areas. Still others, such as Col. (res.) Moshe Givati, said that the mission was not sufficiently comprehensive, and that the entire Bethlehem-Beit Jala area should be taken and cleansed of its weapons in one fell swoop. Herut MK Michael Kleiner went even further, saying that the entire area of the Palestinian Authority must be conquered.
Amidst the uncertainty, Israeli security sources confirmed PA reports that Yasser Arafat had issued a \"stop-shooting\" order regarding all fire towards Gilo. The order is said to have gone into effect at 2:30 PM this afternoon, although it was not clear if it included shooting at other Jerusalem areas such as Har Homa, and which terrorist organizations would abide by it. Palestinian sources reported that Israeli forces would accordingly leave Beit Jala at midnight tonight, but this was not confirmed by the Israelis. However, it should be noted that Foreign Minister Shimon Peres said that the Israeli presence in Beit Jala, designed to \"defend Jerusalem,\" would come to an end \"only if the shooting and mortar attacks against Gilo cease completely.\" The last recorded incident of shooting occurred shortly before 2 PM.
Bursts of fire have been heard from the direction of Beit Jala all afternoon, but correspondents on the scene say that these are apparently clashes between Arabs and Israeli soldiers within Beit Jala itself.
A young mother told Arutz-7\'s Benny Toker today about the mortar shell that had fallen on her building on Te\'enah St. in Gilo just a few minutes before: \"I was at home with my two-year-old when I heard a very loud noise. My other son was not home, so I began quickly looking around for him. He was already quite unnerved from the shooting of last night, and was constantly throwing up in reaction... It appears to be a miracle that no one was hurt... Everyone here is upset and up in arms, and though we\'re trying to keep to our routine, it\'s very hard for the children.\" Local residents are very apprehensive about the beginning of the school year, which is set for this Sunday. As one seven-year-old girl said, \"Our classroom was supposed to be on the top floor, but because of the shooting, they moved us downstairs. What, we should go to school in a place two meters away from where a mortar shell fell [last night]?\"