Ferocious attack on Arafat top aide

RAMALLAH - The headquarters of a key Palestinian security chief, Jibril Rajoub, came under heavy fire from Israeli tanks and helicopter gunships last night.

Palestinian sources reported many casualties among the 400 people in the complex, although Rajoub was not among them.

CNN correspondent Michael Holmes watched the onslaught on the complex in Ramallah from about 2km away and described it as a ferocious attack, with the impact of tank shells shaking the building he was in.

Israeli Apache helicopters fired rockets and reeled off machine gun rounds.

The compound suffered heavy damage, with gaping holes in outer walls, smoke billowing from fire-blackened buildings and sections of the perimeter fence knocked out

Palestinian officials said the complex was filled with hundreds of people, including civilians - administrators, secretaries and some children. A daycare centre is attached to the headquarters.

But Israeli military sources said about 50 Palestinian militants were hiding in the compound and were the focus of the attack.

CNN reported that Rajoub was in the compound when the attack began but slipped out with two of his top lieutenants.

Rajoub, born in the West Bank in 1953, is widely seen as one of the leading contenders to succeed Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat.

He is viewed as a pragmatist and has in the past ordered his forces to clamp down on Islamic militants to stop them attacking Israel.

On the other hand, he says one result of the Palestinian uprising has been to halt expansion of Israeli settlements.

Last night, he said Israel was pushing Palestinians into a corner. "We will resist, we will resist and we will win."

Israel yesterday sent its tanks into Bethlehem, extending its grasp on the West Bank in an all-out bid to halt suicide bombings and crush the 18-month-old revolt.

Troops in tanks and armoured vehicles, backed by helicopter gunships, pushed into the centre of the town and declared it a closed military zone.

Outgunned Palestinians with rifles and grenade launchers fought desperately to keep Israeli troops out of central Manger Square, where Christians believe Jesus was born.

One 80-year-old Palestinian was killed outside his house and two other civilians were hit by sniper fire, witnesses said, adding that ambulances had been unable to reach them.

A closed military zone has also been declared in Ramallah, where Arafat has been effectively imprisoned in his headquarters since tanks stormed in last week.

Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres said the military campaign might last for several weeks.

"We haven't gone into the territories to capture territories but to capture terrorists," he said.

"We have no intention of staying there a protracted time - three to four weeks."

Troops also swept into Tulkarm and the nearby villages of Anabta and al-Labad in what Israel called a broadening sweep for suicide attackers, militants and weapons.

In Tulkarm, soldiers used loudhailers to order terrified residents to stay indoors or be shot.

"A curfew is imposed. Any violators will be fired at," they shouted, witnesses said.

In Jerusalem, a Palestinian bomber detonated his load yesterday, killing a policeman, when police stopped his car at a checkpoint.

Israeli Justice Minister Meir Sheetrit said: "We are now in a state of war ... We are not going to stop it until we reach our goals and see that terrorism has stopped.

"In the next few days, the next few weeks, we will speak to him [Arafat] in the language he knows - not just him but all who support terror. Make no mistake - whoever has a hand in terrorism will be caught."

Oil prices have hit a six-month high as fears grow that unrest could spread in the Middle East, which holds two-thirds of world oil reserves, though no support emerged for Iraq's proposal to use an oil embargo to put pressure on Israel's supporters.

- REUTERS

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