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Israeli Troops Continue Raids on Palestinian Towns in West Bank
Israeli troops and tanks raided a Palestinian village near the West Bank town of Ramallah early Wednesday, wounding at least four Palestinian security officers and a civilian, sources said.
The Israeli troops entered the village of Beit Reema under cover of darkness, arresting residents and taking positions there, witnesses said.
During the incursion, which defied U.S. pressure for Israeli withdrawal from Palestinian areas, the troops, backed by helicopter gunships, fired at the village, causing the injuries and even preventing rescue workers from reaching the injured.
The Israeli army said in a statement that the village has "a broad terrorist infrastructure and many terrorists come out of that territory."
Heavy fighting continued overnight between Israeli troops and Palestinian gunmen in the West Bank towns. Israeli soldiers ambushed three Palestinians in Tulkarm, shooting and killing them from a cemetery, Palestinian sources said.
Israeli tanks and troops also attacked the biblical city of Bethlehem and the nearby Aida refugee camp early Wednesday.
The Israeli troops launched incursions into areas under Palestinian rule in the West Bank after Tourism Minister Rehavam Ze'evi was killed last week by Palestinian gunmen in retaliation for Israeli assassination of a leader of a Palestinian group in August.
Following intense pressure from the United States, Israeli security sources said that the army pullout is expected within the next two days.
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