Israel: May 9, 2002

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10.0pt"> Israel has called up more military reservists, another indication that there may be a major military operations against terrorist facilities in the Gaza Strip.

Meanwhile, Israeli troops continue to raid into West Bank towns to grab individual terrorist suspects. The enormous amount of information gained from grabbing Palestinian Authority records, and rounding up and interrogating so many terrorists and suspects has provided a lot more leads on suspects. Some raids are made on Gaza strip towns as well. 

In response to the May 7 terrorist bombing, the Palestinian Authority has arrested 16 low level members of Hamas. In the past, this was often done, but the men arrested were eventually released. Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat also denounced, in Arabic, the attacks on Israeli civilians (but not attacks on soldiers). Arafat has done this before, to little effect.  

A recent Israeli poll shows that 59 percent feel that peace is possible if the Jewish settlements in Palestinian territory are dismantled and Israel withdraws from the territory taken during the 1967 war. However, the question included a peace guarantee by the United States.

Saudi Arabia announced that it had ended several weeks of military exercises in the northwest (the part of the country closest to Israel.) Some 20,000 troops were involved.

Israeli troops and Hizbollah continue to fire at each other on the Lebanese border near the disputed Shebaa farms region.


 

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