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Palestinians, including police, again battle Israeli troops
More than 40 dead in this week's fighting
September 26, 1996
Web posted at: 10:20 a.m. EDT (1420 GMT)(CNN) -- Palestinian police and Israeli troops battled each other Thursday throughout the West Bank and Gaza, and thousands of enraged Palestinians attacked two isolated Jewish settlements.
At least 33 Palestinians and 10 Israelis have been killed and hundreds wounded in two days of fighting -- the most dramatic sign yet of the collapse of Israel's fragile peace.
"It's like a civil war," CNN's Jerrold Kessel reported live from Jerusalem. "It's a worsening situation."
"There is a wildness, an almost fever pitch that has electrified Palestinians again," CNN's Walter Rodgers reported live from Palestinian-governed Ramallah in the West Bank. Israel has closed its borders with the West Bank and Gaza, barring thousands of Palestinians from jobs inside Israel.
Ignited by tunnel controversy
The violence was set off by Tuesday's opening of an Israel- constructed tourist tunnel that runs near sites considered holy to both Muslims and Jews. The Al Aqsa Mosque compound is also called the Temple Mount, because it is the site of the Jewish Temple destroyed by the Romans in 70 AD.
Palestinians claim the tunnel undermines their control over Jerusalem holy sites and violates Israeli assurances that no changes will be made in the disputed city until its future has been determined in future peace negotiations. Both Israel and Palestinians claim Jerusalem as their capital.
'Firefight'
Palestinian police and Israeli troops traded fire at an Israeli army checkpoint near Ramallah Thursday as hundreds of Palestinians hurled stones at the army.
"Not far from here .... there was a firefight between Israeli soldiers and some Palestinians dressed in military uniforms," Rodgers reported while covering a funeral in Ramallah for a 15-year-old boy killed in Wednesday's clashes.
Palestinian police had initially tried to hold demonstrators at bay, but when demonstrators started shouting, "There are dead, there are dead," some of the officers returned fire at the Israelis.
The fighting is the worst since a 1993 peace accord put an end to six years of Palestinian revolt against Israeli occupation of the territories.
Netanyahu trip cut short
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is on a three- day visit to Europe, called Yasser Arafat from Germany and demanded that the Palestinian leader contain the violence, Netanyahu spokesman Shai Bazak said.
The Israeli leader cut several hours from his trip and was expected back in Israel Thursday night to chair an emergency Cabinet meeting.
Arafat had urged Palestinians on Wednesday to hold protest marches and strikes against the tunnel. On Thursday, it was not immediately clear whether he was in full control of his 30,000 armed policemen.
Battle at two Jewish settlements
The worst fighting erupted Thursday when thousands of Palestinian protesters marched toward the two tiny Jewish settlements of Netzarim and Kfar Darom, isolated enclaves in the heart of the Palestinian-controlled Gaza Strip.
Palestinians threw stones, firebombs and bottles at Israeli troops at a small outpost about a mile from Netzarim. Soon a gunbattle ensued, with hundreds of Palestinian policemen trading automatic fire with Israeli soldiers who were backed by armored personnel carriers and helicopters.
"We are defending our hearts. Jerusalem is our heart," said one Palestinian officer as he ran during the battle, carrying an M-16 assault rifle. Gun battles also erupted outside the Kfar Darom settlement.
In Bethlehem, Israeli soldiers who guarded Rachel's Tomb, burial place of the biblical matriarch, fired tear gas and rubber bullets in an attempt to disperse the crowds.
Arab reaction
The Palestinian Authority asked Arab governments on Thursday to isolate and punish Israel for its "aggressive behavior" in the West Bank and Gaza. Mohamed Sobeih, the Palestinian delegate to the Arab League, made the request in Cairo where the League was holding an emergency meeting.
Syria, Jordan and Qatar also condemned Israel, holding it responsible for the violence.
Palestinian leaders declared Thursday a national day of mourning, and merchants were asked to keep shops shut.
Jerusalem Bureau Chief Walter Rodgers, Correspondent Jerrold Kessel,the Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.
Related stories:
- Seven Palestinians die in clashes in West Bank - September 25, 1996
- Ancient tunnel was once a waterway - September 25, 1996
- Israeli archaeological digs threaten Islamic mosque - September 24, 1996
- Israelis, Palestinians get back to the table - August 29, 1996
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