“Israeli” Occupation Troops Storm Nablus

Source: Alalam.ir, 3-3-2007
Nablus, West Bank--"Israeli" occupation forces swept into Nablus on Saturday, a day after the Zionist regime said it had pulled out troops from the West Bank city.
As many as 40 armored vehicles and bulldozers stormed the city from the At-Tour district in the southwest and the Hawarah and Al-Quds streets in the south amid heavy fire.
Security sources said the operation focused on Ras al-Ain and Old City districts of Nablus, our correspondent reported from Ramallah.
On the political front, Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh appealed to faction leaders to finish choosing ministers for a unity government, saying further delay could embolden opponents of the deal.
Haniyeh had asked President Mahmoud Abbas`s Fatah faction and other groups to submit their choices by Friday, ahead of a planned meeting with Abbas in the Gaza Strip, but this deadline has been pushed back.
Following a late night meeting between Haniyeh and Abbas aide Azzam al-Ahmed in Gaza, the prime minister said Hamas would present its list of ministers Saturday and Ahmed said the Fatah list could be released by Sunday.
With most of the differences between the parties now resolved, Ahmed said he expected the government could be named by the end of the coming week.
Abbas and Haniyeh had originally been due to meet on Saturday but the meeting was put back to Sunday.
Speaking at a Gaza City mosque, Haniyeh said his goal is to form the unity government quickly to "block the way for parties that want to force us to retreat and put pressure on the people, the president and the government".
Haniyeh aide Ghazi Hamad said he expected Abbas and Haniyeh to meet in Gaza on Sunday.
It was unclear if outstanding issues, including naming an interior minister, a critical post with oversight of large security services, would be settled by then.
Likewise, Fatah has yet to say who will serve as deputy prime minister under Haniyeh.
Hamas and Fatah signed a power-sharing deal last month in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, that stemmed factional fighting.
The agreement contains a vague promise to "respect" previous "Israeli"-Palestinian pacts. But it does not commit the incoming government to abide by those pacts, nor to recognize "Israel" and renounce resistance as demanded by the Quartet of mediators.
Haniyeh said many European countries were supportive of the unity deal and lashed out at the US and the "Israeli" occupation regime for objecting to the pact.
"There is a progressive European position (toward dealing with the Palestinian unity government).
"I hope that the US administration will reconsider its policies because there is a Palestinian consensus and will, and therefore the international community must respect it," Haniyeh told reporters.
Although Hamas and Fatah have not publicly unveiled their cabinet choices, they have both agreed the incoming finance minister would be US-educated economist Salam Fayyad.