Israeli Army Destroys Caravans in Arafat's Compound

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Friday, September 20, 2002

Israeli Army Destroys Caravans in Arafat's Compound

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Israeli tanks enter Arafat compound

Israeli army bulldozers supported by tanks and infantry troops demolished on Thursday night caravans housing members of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat's Force 17 presidential guard, Palestinians inside the besieged Arafat's headquarters in Ramallah said.

Several Israeli tanks and armored vehicles raided Al Muqataa, orthe headquarters, where Arafat stays in the West Bank town of Ramallah, Palestinian officials said.

Witnesses in the headquarters said that Israeli soldiers used loudspeakers to call wanted Palestinians holed up inside Arafat's headquarters to surrender themselves.

They said that one of the wanted men named by loudspeakers is Tawfiq Tirawi, chief of the Palestinian intelligence service in the West Bank, and he was asked to turn himself over to the Israeli soldiers.

Israel says that in the compound, there are about 20 Palestinians, some of them militants, who are on Israel's wanted list. The Israeli cabinet has decided to tighten the siege on Arafat and ask for the 20 wanted Palestinians to surrender.

Chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat warned Israel not to hurt Arafat, and called upon the United States and the European Union to pressure Israel to end the siege on Arafat's headquarters.

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