Sunday, October 21, 2001

The IDF reinforces positions inside Bethlehem, where IDF shelling kills 3 Palestinians nr. a hospital; a 4th Palestinian is fatally shot while harvesting olive outside Jinin; a 5th Palestinian dies of injuries received earlier. Other IDF shells land within 50 yds. of the Church of the Nativity, injuring 2 Palestinians. The IDF also fires on a UN ambulance in Bethlehem, seriously injuring the driver; rockets a power station in Tulkarm; occupies 2 Palestinian homes in Qalqilya, 1 in Khan Yunis; reinforces positions in Ramallah and al-Bireh, destroying a Force 17 office. Sharon says the PA must meet 3 conditions for a return to talks: a complete halt to "terrorism and incitement," the arrests of "terrorists" and the disbanding of their organizations, the extradition of those involved in the Ze'evi assassination. The PA outlaws the armed wing of the PFLP, detains another 13 PFLP mbrs. (AP 10/21; MENA 10/21 in WNC 10/22; AP, LAW, NYT, PMC, WT 10/22; MM 10/23; SA 10/23 in WNC 10/24; PCHR 10/24; HA 10/27)

The Labor party threatens to quit the governing coalition if Sharon expands the reoccupation of PA-controlled territories. (AFP 10/21; MM, WP, WT 10/22)