JERUSALEM, Jul 18, 01 (CWNews.com) - The government of Israel has heavily increased its military presence in the occupied West Bank, a day after shelling Palestinian homes near Bethlehem.
Tensions in the region are high because of rumors that the government of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has made plans for a full-scale military assault on the region. Spokesman for the Israel government have dismissed those rumors as "absolute nonsense." They said that the movement of new troops and tanks into Palestinian villages was a "preventative" measure to guard against new outbreaks of violence.
On Tuesday, Israeli rockets struck in the Bethlehem area, killing four people and wounding several others. One was Omar Sa'adeh, a member of the militant Hamas group. Israeli military officials claimed that Sa'adeh was planning a terrorist attack.
Catholic World News Service - Daily News Briefs
18. juli 2001