ISRAEL (voa) – Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon says his troops will stay in Palestinian towns until “the terrorists surrender.”
He was speaking hours before the arrival of U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell. The United States has been pressing Israel to withdraw from all Palestinian cities and towns occupied in Israel’s offensive over the past two weeks.
The Israeli army announced Thursday that it has withdrawn from 24 Palestinian towns. But Israeli tanks and troops have pushed into two other West Bank towns, Bir Zeit and Dahariyah, and the Ein Beit Hilmeh refugee camp. Troops made a number of arrests in Bir Zeit.
Palestinian officials called the Israeli pull-out announcement “a big lie” meant to deceive world opinion.
The Israeli army also says it has arrested more than 4,000 people during its campaign to root out Palestinian militants. It says more than 100 of those arrested are on Israel’s list of most wanted suspects.
Israeli tanks and troops remain in the key Palestinian cities of Nablus, Ramallah, Jenin and Bethlehem and on the outskirts of two more.
In the Jenin refugee camp, a last pocket of 36 Palestinian fighters surrendered to Israeli forces Thursday, apparently after running out of food, water and ammunition. About 300 fighters surrendered late Wednesday. Palestinian officials are calling for help to relocate hundreds of families left homeless by the Israeli attack on the refugee camp.
An Israeli army spokeswoman says Israeli achieved its goals in the Jenin camp. She says most of the men Israel wanted have either surrendered, been captured, or were killed.
At least 23 Israeli soldiers and more than 100 Palestinians were killed in several days of fierce fighting in the refugee camp. Israeli forces continue house to house searches there. Troops shot one camp resident Thursday.
In the Gaza Strip Thursday, a Palestinian suspected of collaborating with Israel was shot and killed by Palestinian militants. In Hebron, a Palestinian man was killed when explosives he was carrying blew up near a taxi stand. Several bystanders were injured. Three other Palestinians were killed in the village of Arrabe by Israeli army gunfire.
Israel launched its offensive into Palestinian cities on March 29 after a series of deadly suicide bombings carried out by Palestinian militant groups.
