Israel has begun military operations in the southern Gaza Strip - 2004-05-17

Israel has begun military operations in the southern Gaza Strip to widen its buffer zone near the border with Egypt and to separate the city of Rafah from other Palestinian areas. Witnesses report that hundreds of Israeli soldiers equipped with tanks, armored bulldozers, and helicopters were deployed in Rafah early this morning, and residents of the city, fearing the imminent destruction of their homes, are leaving the area. Meanwhile, Ahmed Qurei, the Prime Minister of the Palestinian Authority, has called on the United States to intervene to stop the destruction of Palestinian homes by Israel. Mr. Qurei made this request during a meeting with Condoleezza Rice, the U.S. National Security Advisor, in Berlin today. Israel claims that it needs to widen the buffer zone along the border to prevent attacks from Palestinian militants. Israel announced yesterday that its military operations in Gaza would include the demolition of approximately 200 homes near the Egyptian border. Today, there was also a confrontation in the West Bank between Israeli forces and residents of a Jewish settlement who were trying to prevent the demolition of their unauthorized settlement. In this confrontation, twenty Jewish protesters were arrested.