Palestinian Woman Killed in Fresh Mideast Fighting

13/05/2001| IslamWeb

JERUSALEM (Islamweb & News Agencies) - A Palestinian woman was killed in new fighting on Tuesday as Israeli occupation forces held on to positions in two Palestinian-ruled West Bank areas despite a renewed international demand for their withdrawal.The five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council -- the United States, Britain, France, Russia and China -- called on Monday for an Israeli pullout from Palestinian areas and for Palestinians to end 13 months of violence.
Raanan Gissin, a spokesman for Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, said troops would not leave West Bank areas around Jenin and Tulkarm until Palestinian security forces agreed to restrain Resistance and prevent what he called violence.
``There is a plan to withdraw. It has been postponed and delayed because of what Gissinin called the current security situation.
A gun battle erupted on Tuesday between troops and Palestinian Resistance men in Tulkarm, during which Wafa Nasif, 29, was shot in her home, Palestinian witnesses and medics said.
The occupation army said its troops exchanged fire with Palestinian Resistance men who were firing from buildings south of Tulkarm.
Israel reoccupied areas in and around six Palestinian-ruled cities in the West Bank after Palestinian leftists assassinated a far-right cabinet minister on October 17 in revenge of Israel's assassination of their leader, Abu Ali Mustafa. Under intense international pressure, Israel has withdrawn from four of the areas.