Arafat urges resistance to Israel raids
The Palestinian Authority including President Yassar Arafat have called on Palestinians to resist Israeli occupation troops who seized the city of Ramallah in the biggest single military operation in 17 months. The Israeli military ordered all men aged between 15 and 45 to gather in al-Am'ari's public square. However, witnesses told the Reuters news agency, women and children took to the streets in defiance while the men stayed indoors. The Palestinian leadership urged the men not to surrender. Further reports indicate Israeli troops then entered homes arresting the men who were blindfolded and bound, and dragged towards tanks and armoured vehicles. Television footage showed hundreds of men gathered in squares blindfolded, and with their hands tied. Mr. Arafat told Abu Dhabi television on Monday that the Israeli army's conduct during the sweeps amounted to "new Nazi racism".
-- Duetsche Welle