Israel Continues Siege of Arafat's Headquarters - 2002-09-24

Israel states that despite a United Nations Security Council resolution, it will continue the siege of Yasser Arafat's headquarters in Ramallah, which will only end when 20 individuals, whom Israel labels as militants and claims are holed up in the only undestroyed building of the Palestinian Authority compound, surrender. The siege of Arafat's headquarters began after two bombing incidents in Israel last week that resulted in 7 deaths and around 60 injuries. The UN Security Council, in a resolution, has called on Israel to end the siege of the Palestinian leader's headquarters in Ramallah. In a conciliatory move earlier today, the Security Council also urged the Palestinian Authority to bring the perpetrators of terrorist acts to justice. Of the 15 Security Council members, 14 voted in favor of the resolution. The United States abstained, arguing that the resolution did not explicitly condemn terrorist groups by name. Meanwhile, Yasser Arafat remains under siege by Israeli forces in the only remaining building of his compound in Ramallah and refuses to surrender the 20 individuals to the Israeli army. In the Gaza Strip, Israeli tanks and armored vehicles, supported by helicopters, attacked two areas of Gaza City early this morning, resulting in the deaths of 9 Palestinians, with Palestinians claiming more than 20 others were injured.