April 1, 2004

Palestinians use Bethlehem hospital as shield

From Reuters/UK The article was ostensibly about US officials meeting with the Palestinian PM regarding Israel's pull-out from Gaza but they tucked this story in at the end: bq. In the West Bank city of Bethlehem, witnesses said 12 men, mostly known militants from al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades that make up part of President Yasser Arafat's Fatah faction, were arrested in the city's mental hospital during an Israeli raid. bq. The army said there were no casualties and that the militants had been meeting at the hospital to plan attacks against Israelis. bq. Commenting on the Bethlehem raid, an Israeli army officer said troops surrounded the hospital before dawn and called on the gunmen to surrender. "They opened fire from inside. We traded gunfire for about an hour," the officer said. Just like a terrorist group to use a hospital for meeting place and shield. As Jen said, these people want their own state? Give them one: PLASMA Posted by DaveH at April 1, 2004 12:34 PM