Arafat Slams Israeli Crimes in First Appearance From Month-long Siege

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Thursday, May 02, 2002

Arafat Slams Israeli Crimes in First Appearance From Month-long Siege

Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat slammed Israeli crimes when making his first appearance Thursday morning from a month-long siege in the West Bank city of Ramallah.

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Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat slammed Israeli crimes when making his first appearance Thursday morning from a month-long siege in the West Bank city of Ramallah.

All the Palestinian infrastructure has been destroyed during crimes committed by Israeli army, the angry Palestinian leader said, describing Israeli invaders as "terrorists."

Arafat said he would make an inspection tour in the West Bank cities to see his people and assess damages caused to Palestinian properties.

Hundreds of Palestinians were gathering in Ramallah to celebrate the lifting of the Israeli siege on their leader.

Arafat also called on the international community to immediately halt the israeli closure on the Church of Nativity in another West Bank town of Bethlehem.

Fire broke out in the vicinity of the Church compound to couple with exchange of heavy gunfire Wednesday night.

Palestinian officials claimed that Israeli soldiers tried to storm the site, where about 200 Palestinians have been holed up since the Israeli army launched military offensive on April 2.

Israeli military sources said, however, that Palestinians in the church fired at Israeli troops surrounding the compound and that soldiers fired into the air in return.

Despite the Palestinian outcry over the devastation caused by the Israeli troops, Arafat vowed to commit to the peace process he jointly started with the slain Israeli prime minister Yitzhak Rabin.

He told ABC television on a separate occasion that he would not give up the the peace process after Rabin's death.

Israeli troops moved out of Ramallah Wednesday night after the Palestinian National Authority surrendered the six Palestinians wanted by Israel to American and British guard.

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