Thursday November 8 5:41 AM ET Palestinian Blows Self Up in Israeli Raid

By Megan Goldin

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - A Palestinian suicide bomber blew himself up during a raid Thursday by Israeli commandos searching for militants in a West Bank village, injuring two of the commandos, Israeli officials said.

Palestinians in the village of Baqa al-Sharqiya said by telephone a man had been blown up and that his remains were being collected, but said they did not know how he died. They said they were ordered to stay in their houses during the raid.

The man's death, and that of a Palestinian who died of wounds sustained Tuesday in the Gaza Strip, took the toll to at least 700 Palestinians and 186 Israelis killed in 13 months of fighting which the United States is trying to stop to bolster Arab support for its anti-terror campaign in Afghanistan.

Raanan Gissin, a spokesman for Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, said the man had deliberately blown himself up close to the commandos after they entered the village straddling the border with Israel.

``A suicide bomber approached them and exploded himself and two policemen were injured,'' Gissin said.

The commandos were searching for a suicide bomber believed to be hiding in the village and planning an attack inside Israel, an Israeli security source said.

Police across northern Israel were on alert for a suicide bomb attack and cordoned off the city of Hadera, searching vehicles and checking documents of people entering.

Scores of Israelis have been killed in suicide bombings since a Palestinian revolt against Israeli occupation erupted in September 2000 after peace talks stalled.

The army rarely comments on operations while they are still under way, but the security source said Israeli forces were still searching for more bombers who could be hiding in Baqa al-Sharqiya.

U.S. HAILS PULLOUT FROM RAMALLAH

Washington fears the Israeli-Palestinian violence will undermine Arab and Muslim support for its offensive in Afghanistan following the suicide attacks on the United States on September 11.

It hailed a pullout by Israeli forces Wednesday from Palestinian-ruled Ramallah and hopes this will be followed by a withdrawal from Jenin and Tulkarm, the last of the six West Bank towns it entered during a sweep for militants last month.

``I am pleased that the Israelis have withdrawn from Ramallah and I hope they will withdraw from the other villages in the near future,'' Secretary of State Colin Powell said Wednesday.

``I hope that (Palestinian) Chairman (Yasser) Arafat will continue to do all he can to end the violence.''

Gissin said Israeli forces would withdraw from areas in Jenin and Tulkarm ``in the next few days.''

``One of the other reasons why the withdrawal is being postponed is that when you have suicide bombers coming out it means someone is sending them,'' Gissin said.

Foreign Minister Shimon Peres told reporters in Paris that Israel intended to ``complete the work in some days.''

``I hope that our army can withdraw from the...other towns in the West Bank. Afterwards, the same has to be done in Gaza, and if we can complete the cease-fire, we can continue with the political negotiations,'' he said. The army took up positions in and around the six West Bank towns last month after a Palestinian group killed a far-right Israeli cabinet minister to avenge Israel's assassination of their leader in August.

ISRAELI BLOCKADES CONTINUE

Although it has left four of the six towns, Israel still has crippling blockades on many Palestinian areas and the tanks redeployed Wednesday just outside Ramallah, a major commercial hub which includes Arafat's West Bank headquarters.

``They say they withdrew but they did not. They moved the tanks from one place to another and unfortunately tightened the siege,'' Arafat said.

``We do not see from this...Israeli government anything but more military escalation, siege and assassinations.''

Israel says the blockades are needed for security reasons. The Palestinians say they are a collective punishment.

The Palestinians say they have arrested a number of militants, a key Israeli demand for further pullbacks. But the Palestinian High Court of Justice Wednesday ordered the release of two militant leaders.

-- Anonymous, November 08, 2001