BEIRUT (voa) – he Palestinian militant group Hamas is threatening Israeli leaders with assassination for the arrest of Marwan Barghouti, a leader of Yasser Arafat’s Fatah faction.
Israel arrested Mr. Barghouti in Ramallah Monday. He is on Israel’s wanted list for allegedly masterminding suicide bombings and other attacks against Israelis.
In a statement issued in Beirut, Hamas warns Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and members of his government that they are now considered legitimate targets. It adds that the Israeli officials have “opened the gates of hell” by arresting Mr. Barghouti.
Elsewhere, heavy gunfire erupted Tuesday near the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, where Israeli forces have besieged armed Palestinians for two weeks.
The exchanges stopped after about half an hour. The Associated Press says a Palestinian near the clash was hit by a stray bullet. Palestinians say Israeli forces staged an attack on the church. The Israeli army confirmed shooting in the area but said its forces had not attacked.
The church is built on the site where Christians believe Jesus Christ was born. It is considered one of the holiest sites in Christianity.
Earlier Tuesday, Israeli tanks and troops rolled into three suburbs of East Jerusalem, imposing a curfew and confining tens of thousands of Palestinians to their homes.
The incursions into Abu Dis, Izzariyeh and Sawahra a-Sharkiyeh came one day after Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said he would withdraw Israeli forces from most of the West Bank within a week. Israel launched its West Bank operation March 29 in response to a wave of deadly Palestinian suicide attacks.
