The West Bank and Gaza Strip were in the grip of a general strike Monday, called by the Palestinians to protest the latest visit to Israel by U.S. Secretary of State George Shultz, whom they consider as much an opponent of their cause as Israeli Premier Yitzhak Shamir.
The strike followed the bloodiest weekend of the Palestinian uprising since it began almost four months ago. Two Palestinians were shot to death Friday and six on Saturday in clashes with Israel Defense Force soldiers in the territories. At least 19 Arabs were wounded.
Rioting broke out in Tulkarm Sunday following the death of a local youth who tried to raise a Palestinian flag. Another Palestinian youth was shot to death Monday in Bani Naim village, near Hebron, where soldiers broke up a demonstration against Shultz.
A local youth was wounded in the legs Monday after he allegedly attacked border police with an axe in the Balata refugee camp, near Nablus. A curfew was imposed on the camp.
There was violence in Israel proper. Haifa police arrested seven Israeli Arab residents of Jisr e-Zarka village, near the Tel Aviv-Haifa highway. They are suspected of having stoned private cars, a bus and a police van Sunday night. Two of the detainees are adults and the others juveniles.
KAHANE SUPPORTERS ARRESTED
Police also arrested five members of Rabbi Meir Kahane’s extremist Kach movement who attempted Monday to enter the Israeli Arab town of Umm el-Fahm. Local Arabs barricaded the road to the town, and the police descended in force to avert a possibly violent confrontation.
There was trouble again on the Temple Mount in the Old City of Jerusalem, when Jewish zealots known as the “Temple Mount Faithful” tried to enter the site of Islamic shrines for what they called a “Passover pilgrimage.”
The Moslem religious authorities, who have jurisdiction over the shrines, feared the police would allow the group to enter. Anwar el-Khatib, deputy chairman of the Supreme Moslem Council, warned they would stop the Jews with their bodies.
Police intervened in strength and 30 of the zealots contented themselves with encircling the area. Later, the Moslem authorities thanked the police for their protection.
Although the general strike was in effect throughout the administered territories Monday, many Arab day-laborers from the Gaza Strip reportedly showed up at their jobs in Israel. Smaller numbers came from the West Bank.
ARABS CRITICAL OF SHULTZ
The local Arabic press and Palestinian leaders were sharply critical of Shultz’s mission. They denounced him for publicly accepting the three “no’s” spelled out by Foreign Minister Shimon Peres. These are no to a Palestinian state, no to the Palestine Liberation Organization and no to an Israeli withdrawal to its pre-1967 borders.
The pro-Jordanian newspaper An-Nahar said Shultz has brought no new proposals and ignores Arab willingness to work for peace and the Soviet role in the peace process. An-Nahar also accused Shultz of trying to dictate who should represent the Palestinians at a peace conference. In that respect, the American secretary of state speaks “with the voice of Yitzhak Shamir,” the newspaper said.
Mayor Elias Freij of Bethlehem, a Palestinian moderate, expressed hope that Shultz would succeed in his mission and not simply pay lip-service to the peace process. Freij told Voice of Israel Radio that he was pleased Shultz has stressed that United Nations Security Council Resolution 242 applies to the West Bank.
But another Palestinian figure, lawyer Fayez Abu-Rahme of Gaza, insisted the Palestinians cannot meet with Shultz as long as he ignores the Palestine Liberation Organization. In his view, there will be no peace until the United States applies pressure on both sides, mainly on Israel.
The violence in the territories that preceded Shultz’s arrival in Israel Sunday is not likely to abate while he is in the region. It followed the closure of the West Bank and Gaza Strip for three days last week.
SIX KILLED SATURDAY
The six Palestinians killed Saturday were the largest number of fatalities in any one day since the disturbances began Dec. 9.
Salim A-Shaer, 23, was shot dead near the Bethlehem marketplace during demonstrations that broke out to protest army orders to close the vegetable market. Four other Palestinians were wounded.
In Beit Likya and Deir Sudan, in the Ramallah area, IDF troops shot to death Hamid Ahmad, 41, and Jihad Assi, 19 Soldiers entered the villages to break up riots.
In Gaza, an IDF patrol killed three Arabs who allegedly attacked them with a kitchen knife, meat cleaver and an iron bar. The dead are Rashid Al-Kurdi, 55; Ahmad Hamis Al-Kurdi, 40; and Ala Ahmad Al-Kurdi, 21, all members of the same family. Two other Arabs were wounded.
On Friday, troops in Idna village, near Hebron, killed two villagers and wounded 13 in riots that broke out after Friday prayers at the local mosque. One of the dead is Jamal Tumaizi, 20. The other was not identified.
A police officer was stabbed on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem Friday as worshipers left the Al-Aksa mosque after noon prayers. He was hospitalized and reported in good condition.
CONTROVERSY OVER YOUTH’S DEATH
The fatality that triggered rioting in Tulkarm Sunday was of undetermined cause. Military authorities said the youth was electrocuted while trying to hang a Palestinian flag on top of a utility pole at about 2 a.m. local time Sunday. Local residents refused to accept that version and rumors spread swiftly that he was shot by IDF soldiers.
The high death toll among Palestinians was attributed by military sources to standing orders to the IDF not to withdraw under attack and a recent order permitting soldiers to open fire on individuals who throw gasoline bombs. But soldiers usually cannot tell whether a bottle hurled at them is “innocent” or incendiary.
Gen. Amram Mitzna, commander of the central region, which covers the West Bank, confirmed last week that under new guidelines, soldiers can enter isolated villages in pursuit of rioters. This is a departure from an earlier policy not to intervene in protests unless main roads are blocked.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
