U.N. In Firing Line

[gelatik]

U.N. In Firing Line, Death Toll Soars, Arafat Calls On U.S. To Stop Israeli
Massacres


OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, March 8 - As the death toll in the bloodiest day since the
outbreak of the Palestinian Intifada reached 41, the United Nations found
itself in the line of fire. One U.N. staffer was killed by Israeli troops and
U.N. schools have been severely damaged by attacks on nearby targets.

Lionel Brisson, director of operations for the U.N. relief and works agency for
Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), accused the Israeli government Friday, March 8,
of ignoring repeated protests that U.N. personnel were in danger, Agence France-
Presse (AFP) reported.

Brisson said that since the outbreak of the Palestinian Intifada in September
2000, 22 UNRWA schools have been damaged, some of them hit five or six times.

"Health and food distribution centers have also been hit, causing a total of
almost 100,000 dollars in damage," Brisson said.

"Our staff wonder in coming to work if their lives are in danger. They could
easily be hit by shrapnel. We have systematically written to the Israeli
government protesting at these very risky attacks near U.N. installations, but
it seems these protests are not really listened to," he added.

UNRWA medic Kamal Hamadan was shot and fatally wounded by Israeli troops
Thursday, March 7, while riding in a U.N. ambulance outside Tulkarem refugee
camp in the West Bank, the first staffer of the world body to be killed in
recent deadly Israeli incursions into occupied Palestinian territories.

.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan appealed to the Israeli government to
investigate the killing and discipline those responsible. His spokesman added
that Annan was "saddened and distressed" by the death of Hamadan, a 40-year-old
father of five.

It is worth mentioning that the Intifada against Israeli occupation has
dramatically escalated since February 28, when Israel launched unprecedented
operations inside West Bank refugee camps.

More than 150 people, most of them Palestinians, have been killed since then,
with 41 on Friday alone.

On the ground, another Palestinian was killed by the Israeli army Friday in the
northern West Bank town of Tulkarem, raising to seven the number of
Palestinians shot dead in the area, Palestinian hospital sources said.

Adel Abu Safaka, 30, was killed in clashes in the autonomous town, which has
been occupied by the Israeli army since Thursday morning, the sources said.

His deaths bring to 41 the number of people killed on Friday and to 1,438 the
total since the beginning of the Palestinian Intifada 17 months ago, including
1,097 Palestinians (mostly women and children) and 318 Israelis.

Meanwhile, an Israeli soldier was killed in the northern West Bank refugee camp
of Tulkarem, an Israeli military spokesman said.

The spokesman said First Sergeant Edward Korol was killed during operational
activity in exchanges of fire between the army and resistant Palestinians in
Tulkarem refugee camp.

Korol was the first soldier killed Friday, the Intifada's bloodiest day, which
also cost the lives of 35 Palestinians and five Israeli settlers.

In another development, Palestinian Health Minister Ryad Zanun Friday accused
the Israeli army of using a Palestinian ambulance and opening fire from it
during a dawn incursion in the southern Gaza Strip, a statement carried by AFP
said.

He said "several soldiers from the Israeli army forced the driver and the nurse
out of the ambulance and took control of it."

This took place near Khan Yunis, on the road between Khuzaa and Abassan, during
deadly incursions by Israeli units there, Zanun added.

In Ramallah, Palestinian President Yasser Arafat called for immediate U.S.
intervention to "stop the massacres" taking place in the Palestinian
territories. The call came in a telephone conversation with U.S. Secretary of
State Colin Powell Friday, the Palestinian leader's top aide said.

Arafat demanded "immediate U.S. intervention to stop the massacres taking place
in the West Bank and Gaza Strip", Nabil Abu Rudeina said. He added the two men
also discussed U.S. envoy Anthony Zinni’s return to the region to broker a
ceasefire and current Arab peace efforts.

Abu Rudeina said Powell called Arafat on the 17-month-old Intifada's bloodiest
day.