RAMALLAH, 26 February 2004 — Israeli troops raided this central West Bank town yesterday morning and forced their way into four of its banks and the headquarters of a local rights organization, Palestinian security sources and witnesses said.
Clashes broke out between soldiers and stone-throwing youths. The army used rubber bullets to disperse them and wounded five people, one of them moderately in his chest, medics said, adding he required an operation.
They said two of the wounded were women, including one foreign national.
The Arab Bank in downtown Ramallah and another branch in El-Bireh neighborhood, the International Palestinian Bank and the Cairo-Amman bank were taken over by troops as soldiers proceeded to cover surveillance cameras with pieces of cloth, Palestinian security sources said.
Troops also barged into the offices of the Health, Development, Information and Policy Institute (HDIP) headed by rights activist Mustafa Barghuti, employees said.
They said soldiers were searching the office of the accountant and going through the organization’s financial files.
Security sources said areas around the banks and HDIP were closed to traffic and that 15 jeeps and several army personnel carriers (APCs) were roaming through the town.
They also said an employee of the Cairo-Amman bank was arrested overnight in Ramallah but said it was not immediately clear whether the army was after more bank employees Wednesday.
Israeli military sources confirmed, “There is an operation going on in Ramallah in several places. It should be over within 24 hours,” but did not further elaborate.
