Nablus Thursday, November 14, in an apparent response to a Palestinian attack against a Kibbutz late Sunday, in which 5 people died.
The Israeli offensive came as the militant group Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigade warned of more violence similar to that in the Metzer Kibbutz, a community that was ironically build on the believe that Arabs and Jews can peacefully live together.
"On behalf of the leadership of Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, we announce that all attacks in Israel will be halted once the Israeli troops withdraw from our areas," said the group, which is affiliated with Palestinian President Yasser Arafat’s Fatah faction.
The latest statement, monitored by the Reuters news agency, came as a shock for residents in the Metzer Kibbutz, who are still coping with the aftermath of the attack Sunday, November 10, when a gunman killed 5 people, including a mother and two children.
BURNING CANDLES
Residents, who began burning candles in front of photo’s, have told reporters that the man began shooting after he managed to crawl under a border fence surrounding the kibbutz’s wheat and banana fields near the West Bank.
Police investigators say he first killed Tirza Damari, 42, and the community’s administrator Yizhak Drori, 44. He than entered the home of Revital Ohayoun, 34, as she held sons Matan, 5, and Noam, 4, in her arms. The mother and her two boys were shot in the head, after one of the boys was heard crying "Mamma", for the last time.
"Six bullets pierced the wood paneling above one of the small beds, where a blood-soaked pillow-case and Noam’s pacifier remained. The room was otherwise orderly, with books, puzzles and stuffed bears on the shelves," observed reporter Peter Hermann of The Baltimore Sun newspaper.
ISRAELI TROOPS
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s spokesman reminded reporters that the attacks like those against the Kibbutz are the main reason why Israeli troops are stationed in Palestinian territories.
"The only reason we are in and around the Palestinian cities is because the Palestinian terrorist groups, particularly the Al Aqsa Brigades and other militants financed by the Palestinian Authority, continue to launch terrorist attacks from these places," Ra’anan Gissin said.
Israel reoccupied much of the West Bank after bombings in June in an effort to quell the Palestinian uprising, which has killed at least 1,657 Palestinians and 631 Israelis, according to official estimates.
Military officials have said that so the latest operation against militants "resulted in dozens of arrests", including that of the lead suspect in the Metzer shooting spree, the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem (ICEJ) said.
