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CNN carried virutally 24-hour coverage of the shooting attack at the LA airport yesterday, repeating Israel's claim that it was a terror attack.  Yet Israel's military attacks on civilians has become so commonplace, it's not even reported anymore.  And no major media outlet would even dare suggest that blowing up civilian homes and shooting kids might be acts of terror, as long as it is carried out by the Israeli army.  ISM activists and on-the-ground witnesses report below:
 

Arrests, searches and house demolitions continue in Jenin town and camp.

Just Another day.

June 3 2002
 
This was a heavy day of targeted house searches, arrests and demolitions.

At about five pm, during imposed curfew , two Israeli miliitary operations took place simultaneously in the town and in the camp.
 
In the city six jeeps and one intelligence vehicle entered the old city followed closely by 3 tanks. The soldiers were doing a targeted house to house search - using civilian Palestinian human sheilds - looking for a `wanted' man whom they apparently did not find.

Two female internationals from America and Ireland approached and observed the military operation, concerned about the safety of the civilians in the densely populated neighborhood of Jenin's Old City.

As the Israeli army prepared to blow up part of a house they claimed held a "bomb factory", the international women asked permision to search the surrounding house for residents. Their concern was heightened by the fact that about two weeks ago the Israeli army detonated a house in Jenin killing 3 children when their neighboring house collapsed from the blast. The army refused their request and the commanding officer shoved both women repeatedly, referring to one as a` nazi dog'. The women remained and asked again if the soldiers were sure that they had fully evacuated the area. Again the soldiers said yes, but despite this affirmation, shouting was heard just moments before detonation . A family that had been hiding, frightened, in a neighboring home came running out. The room that was blown up was subsequently observed by the internationals as being completely empty other than a chair. No explosives were found.
 
A tank guarding the street was manned by a soilder who had been observed by several internationals the previous day firing live ammunition directly at children in the camp. While the other tank fired in the air, this particular soldier fired at least 30 rounds, narrowly missing several small children. When he pulled his tank away from yesterday's operation, he forced a Isaeli-Palestinian truckdriver who was detained while trying to pass the site with his potato truck, to walk in front of his tank as a human shield. An international accompanied him. As this tank pulled out, this same soilder let out a spray of bullets aimed directly at a crowd of neighborhood children.

Simultaneously in Jenin camp, the army conducted searches and arrested five men, including a local sheikh.
That night, the Israeli military operations continued. At around 10pm, the soldiers entered a neighborhood next to Jenin Government Hospital and bordering the camp, and set up their operations base at a private girl's school.
 
At around 11.30pm, prior to entering Palestinian homes, the soldiers fired numerous rounds of live ammunition from tanks moving on the road. A seventeen year old girl was shot in the thigh while in her home. At 12.15am, the Red Crescent Ambulance service received a call from the Israeli army to come pick her up. However, when the ambulance arrived it was fired upon and turned back. Two more ambulances were subsequently dispatched and turned away. Finally, an Irish international was allowed to pass on foot, and found the girl bandaged, wrapped in a blanket, lying between two jeeps. Although she had been stripped naked, the army demanded their blanket and stretcher remain with them. Finally this was negotiated, and the girl was taken to hospital with the blanket and stretcher.
 
In the course of last nights operations, despite a total absence of any resistance, between 50 and 100 young men were taken from their homes and forced to lay on their stomaches for the duration of the house to house searches, which continued until past 3am. The army was looking for a local leader and his sixteen year old son. When they did not find them, they vandalised their house and arrested 5 men in the neighborhood of the leader's brothers. Previously, when unable to locate another local leader, the Israeli army arrested his brother, sister and father in an attempt to make him turn himself in.

For further details of yesterdays events as well as live updates of the daily occupation of Jenin, call:
Coihme Butterly , Ireland 972 055 975 374
Rebecca Murray, U.S.A 972 055 558 954/ 972 053 869 307
Juliana Fredman, U.S.A 972 067 373 467/ 972 053 812 874
 
For information on the ISM, please call Huwaida at 052-642-709
To join us, please see our website - www.palsolidarity.org
 
END