GAZA CITY, 18 December — Hopes for a cease-fire, generated by Palestinian President Yasser Arafat’s speech on Sunday, faded as Israeli soldiers continuing their killing spree yesterday shot dead three Palestinians, including a boy, in pre-dawn and afternoon action while Palestinian groups vowed to carry on attacks.
The soldiers killed Yakoub Dakidak after he tried to flee when troops came to arrest him. The incident took place before dawn yesterday, in an area under full Palestinian control. Israeli sources said Dakidak was involved in sending activists to carry out attacks in Israel.
In the afternoon, Israeli soldiers at a checkpoint near the northern West Bank city of Nablus opened fire on an unmarked car, killing Palestinian policeman Monjed Salman and wounding another. Palestinians said the soldiers opened fire for no reason. Israeli troops also shot dead a 12-year-old Palestinian boy in the southern Gaza Strip in the afternoon, Palestinian medical sources said.
They said Muhammad Henedek from the Khan Younis refugee camp was killed by a single bullet in the chest.
Palestinians said several children were playing near the Neve Dekelim Israeli settlement when Israeli soldiers stationed nearby opened fire.
The incidents took place hours after Arafat, in a major speech to his people, had called on Israel to end the brutal war and to Palestinian groups to cease armed attacks against Israel.
The Hamas officially announced yesterday that it would not halt its armed attacks on Israel. The Popular Front for Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) also said it would continue strike inside Israel.
“The call contained in (Arafat’s) speech to the Palestinian people and its factions to stop the resistance to the Zionist enemy even if the executioner Sharon continues his aggression ... leaves the door wide open for him (Sharon) to continue his extermination campaign against our people,” the Hamas said in a statement.
“We are confident we will triumph by pursuing our jihad and our legitimate resistance to the occupation,” the statement added.
Israeli police yesterday briefly detained Sari Nusseibah, a top Palestinian official in Jerusalem, following a dispute over plans to hold a reception in East Jerusalem.
Nusseibah was released after several hours of questioning, as were Palestinian lawmaker Hatem Abdel Khader, Palestinian attorney Jawad Boulous, and Nusseibah’s son, who were detained with him.
The dispute arose after extremist Israeli Minister of Public Security Uzi Landau forbade Nusseibah from hosting foreign consuls and local dignitaries for an Eid holiday function. A police spokesman was quoted as saying Nusseibah was detained for ignoring the order not to hold the reception, but Palestinians, including Nusseibah, said he was merely apologizing to the guests outside the Imperial hotel for not being allowed to host them.
In Jerusalem, Arafat met EU consuls yesterday and accused Israel of escalating violence in the Middle East despite his efforts to restore calm.
“I am sorry to say that the Israelis are still escalating their military activities,” he told reporters in Ramallah, where he received the consuls from the 15 EU countries.
The European Union called on Israel “not to weaken Arafat’s ability to combat terrorism” while stressing the Palestinian leader must do all he can to curb extremist acts.
Diplomats said the visit was meant to show that the statement formulated on Saturday at Laeken in Belgium was “not just empty words.”
In reaction to Arafat’s speech, the White House said it had “constructive words, but what’s important is that they be followed up by concrete action”.
US Secretary of State Collin Powell said yesterday the United States remained committed to its Middle East vision of a secure Israel co-existing alongside a viable Palestine despite the surge of violence in the region.
Although the situation has deteriorated in recent weeks with a rash of anti-Israel attacks and questions about Palestinian leader Arafat’s credibility, Powell said nothing had happened to alter the US concept that he and President George W. Bush laid out in speeches last month.
The European Union said Arafat’s address appeared to open a new window of opportunity for ending some 15 months of Israeli-Palestinian violence.
Meanwhile, Arab League foreign ministers are set to go ahead with a meeting on Thursday to discuss the Middle East conflict after Arafat’s call for an end to attacks against Israel.
“It is confirmed,” Muhammad Sobeih, the Palestinian representative to the Arab League told AFP, but added that consultations were going on and other League members could still request changes in the timing of the meeting.
The Palestinians had called last week for an emergency session of the 22-member Arab League to discuss Israeli strikes on Palestinian targets and a US veto of a UN resolution on the Middle East.
Sobeih said he expected that Palestinian International Cooperation Minister Nabil Shaath would attend the meeting along with Faruq Qaddumi, head of the political department of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO).
But he could not say whether Arafat, under virtual house arrest in Ramallah after Israel banned him from traveling and knocked out his three helicopters, would be able to attend.
“Until now, I haven’t seen any sign from the president,” he said. “I don’t think it is wise that Israel puts such restrictions on a man working for peace, (but with) what we see from Sharon ... everything is possible.”
In another development, Arafat yesterday urged Morocco’s King Muhammad VI, as head of the Al-Quds Committee, to go to the United Nations to “stop Israeli aggression”, the Moroccan news agency MAP said.
