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Israel kills 14 in gaza { October 25 2004 } Original Source Link: (May no longer be active)
http://www.reuters.co.uk/newsPackageArticle.jhtml?type=worldNews&storyID=608757§ion=newshttp://www.reuters.co.uk/newsPackageArticle.jhtml?type=worldNews&storyID=608757§ion=news
Israel kills 14 in Gaza
Mon 25 October, 2004 12:49
By Nidal al-Mughrabi
GAZA (Reuters) - The Israeli army has killed 14 Palestinians in a raid on a Gaza refugee camp as Prime Minister Ariel Sharon prepares for a critical parliamentary vote on his plan to withdraw from the occupied territory.
Witnesses and medics said on Monday overnight Israeli air strikes killed seven Palestinians in the Khan Younis camp. A tank shell killed two and soldiers shot dead five people, including a boy of 11 and two young men in a stone-throwing crowd.
Three of the Palestinians killed by missiles launched from unmanned drone aircraft were policemen. Eight of the dead remained unidentified. At least 74 Palestinians and two soldiers were wounded in Israel's tank and infantry thrust into the camp.
The Israeli army said it was targeting militants responsible for "ceaseless mortar attacks" on nearby Jewish settlements.
The violence came hours before parliament was due to begin a two-day debate on Sharon's move to dismantle all 21 Jewish settlements in Gaza and four of the 120 in the West Bank.
If implemented, it would be Israel's first removal of settlements from territories occupied in the 1967 Middle East war where Palestinians want to establish a state.
Polls show most Israelis back the "disengagement" and it is likely to pass with about 67 of the 120 votes in the Knesset on Tuesday, but only with support of left-wing opposition members.
Sharon, a former general, insists the Gaza withdrawal slated for next year would make Israel easier to defend while strengthening its hold on far bigger West Bank settlements.
Palestinians believe the plan, which has the approval of the United States, will kill off deadlocked peace negotiations and leave them only impoverished Gaza and scattered parts of the West Bank, extinguishing their dream of a viable state.
RIGHTIST RESISTANCE
Many of Sharon's fellow rightists say the plan rewards Palestinian violence while betraying Jews' biblical claims to the land. Sharon has stepped up military action in Gaza, apparently to try to blunt criticism of his plan.
Palestinian Negotiations Minister Saeb Erekat condemned the Khan Younis raid.
"It seems to me that deliberations in parliament about Gaza are being translated into more Palestinian blood," he said.
Gaza militants see Sharon's plan as a victory after four years of revolt. Violence has soared in anticipation of an Israeli pullback from Gaza, where some 8,000 Jews live in fortified enclaves among 1.3 million Palestinians.
Israeli police planned to deploy heavily in Jerusalem for the Knesset session. Army Radio said helicopters were ready to airlift lawmakers to parliament if crowds of protesters for and against the Gaza plan blocked road access.
Pro-settler activists promised to hold rallies during the debate. Left-wingers will march to urge the government to negotiate any pullout with the Palestinians.
"We are prepared with enough forces to provide an answer to any type of event that could develop at the government complex over the next two days," city police chief Ilan Franco said.
Sharon's cabinet approved a bill on Sunday to compensate evacuated settlers and penalise those who resist.
Even if Sharon wins Knesset approval, his government could be toppled by imminent debate over the 2005 budget, if Likud rebels align with Labour -- which opposes social spending cuts -- as a way to scuttle the pullout from Gaza.
Moreover, further cabinet votes starting in March will be required to put disengagement into motion.
Some settler leaders and rabbis have encouraged troops to refuse evacuation orders, sparking accusations from Sharon's allies that ultra-nationalists could trigger civil war. Security has been stepped up around Sharon amid assassination fears.
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