750 Egyptian border guards, some 2,500 PA security forces shut the Rafah crossing, patch breeches in the border walls, ending 5 days of cross-border celebrations; 8 Palestinians, including 3 PA policemen are injured when PA forces open fire to enforce the closure; Israel demands the border be sealed for at least 6 mos.; meanwhile, all people, goods to or fr. Egypt will pass through an Israeli-monitored crossing at Kerem Shalom, where Gaza, Egypt, Israel meet. Meanwhile, the IDF occupies 2 Palestinian homes in Hebron as military posts; conducts arrest raids, house searches in and around Hebron, Ramallah. Some 50 Jewish settlers fr. Efrat burn Palestinian grape vines, poison a cow nr. Bethlehem. (AFP, IMEMC 9/17; NYT, WP, WT 9/18; AP 9/19; PCHR 9/22)
Saturday, September 17, 2005