Monday, April 14, 2003

The IDF conducts arrest raids in Balata r.c., Bayt Hanun, Jenin; shells residential areas of Rafah; blows up a Palestinian home, 1 unit in an apartment building in Hebron. An IDF military court sentences 4 Hamas mbrs. each to 29 life terms plus 20 yrs. for involvement in planning the 3/27/02 Netanya bombing. Jewish settlers fr. Hebron run over, kill an 11-yr.-old Palestinian, chase 2 Palestinian school girls; attempt to reestablish a settlement outpost on the road to the Tomb of the Patriarchs/al-Ibrahimi Mosque, but are evacuated by the IDF, which declares the area a closed military zone. Other Jewish settlers fire on 3 Palestinian cars in Bayt Hanun. (HA 4/15; PR 4/16; LAW, PCHR 4/17)

U.S. Special Forces in Baghdad capture Palestine Liberation Front leader Muhammad Abbas (Abu Abbas). Abbas reportedly had tried to flee to Syria twice but was denied entry; Syria reportedly passed information to the U.S. about his whereabouts. Abbas was convicted in absentia in 1986 by an Italian court for masterminding the 10/85 Achille Lauro hijacking, in which an American was killed. Italy wants to extradite Abbas to serve his life sentence, but the U.S. is debating whether to try him itself. (NYT, WP, WT 4/16; MM, NYT, WP 4/17; PR 4/23; MEI 5/2)