China Monday strongly condemned the violent attacks in Jerusalem
and Haifa, saying it was worried about the possible escalation of
the Israel-Palestine conflict as a result of the explosions.
Extending condolences and greetings to the injured and the families
of those who died, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Zhang Qiyue
said China urged parties concerned to seek peaceful means to
resolve all disputes.
"We hope all parties concerned take effective measures to end all
violence, to co-operate with the international community and to
seek peaceful means to resolve disputes,'' said Zhang.
Moustapha Saphariny, ambassador of Palestine to China told China
Daily Monday that his government has always opposed to any forms of
terrorism.
"We hope that the international community would not pursue a double
standard on terrorism," said Saphariny.
The ambassador said that it is worthwhile to think about the roots
of such reactions by Palestinian people.
Also Monday, Itzhak Shelef, ambassador of Israel to China, said the
violent attacks have severely damaged the chances of restarting the
peace process, and he urged the Palestine side to punish those
responsible.
"We expect serious, concrete and visible actions against terrorism
taken by Palestine leader Yasser Arafat," said Shelef.
Gong Shaopeng, a Chinese expert on the Middle East question from
the Foreign Affairs College, said that the best way to handle the
issue is to sit down and hold frank talks.
"It would be a wise choice for both sides to have high-level
officials talks to discuss a solution. Yet this will be hard to
realize,'' said Gong.
Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon returned to Israel from
Washington Monday to decide how to respond to Palestinian suicide
attacks that killed at least 25 people and wounded about 200.
Sharon began talks at Ben Gurion airport with his foreign and
defence ministers and security chiefs before a full cabinet meeting
scheduled later on Monday in Jerusalem. Aides said he would address
the nation on television after his consultations.
US
Secretary of State Colin Powell said Washington was not about to
tell Sharon what to do but that both sides must be aware of the
consequences of any action that Israel takes.
Palestinian security forces rounded up militants across the West
Bank and Gaza Strip after heavy pressure from US President George
W. Bush and Israel to arrest those responsible for the attacks,
which pushed 14 months of Israeli-Palestinian violence into a new
phase.
Palestinian security forces were also out in large numbers after
President Yasser Arafat imposed a state of emergency in the West
Bank and Gaza.
Israeli soldiers shot dead a Palestinian near the West Bank town of
Jenin
Monday. The army said troops thought the man was trying to place a
bomb but found none on him. Palestinian officials said he was a
farmer going to work.
The army also said earlier troops had killed four Palestinian
gunmen near the West Bank city of Jenin on Sunday in an exchange of
fire.
The militant Islamic movement Hamas, which opposes Israel's
existence, said it carried out the weekend attacks to avenge
Israel's killing of its top military leader in the West Bank in a
missile strike last month.
US
President Bush "made clear what he demands of Chairman Arafat and
the Palestinian Authority: the immediate arrests of those
responsible for these heinous acts and decisive action against the
organizations like Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad that support
them,'' US National Security Council spokesman Sean McCormack said
after Bush's meeting with Sharon.
Palestinian security sources said more than 90 militants from Hamas
and Islamic Jihad had been arrested since late on Saturday in what
appeared to be the Authority's largest sweep since the Hamas
bombings in 1996.
Hamas official Ismail Abu Shannab and Ismail Haniyah, the director
of Hamas spiritual leader Sheikh Ahmed Yassin's office, were among
those detained, Palestinian security sources said.
(China Daily December
4, 2001)