(Jerusalem Report) Isabel Kershner - Not long ago, Hani Aweideh and his comrades from the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades would have been swaggering through the streets of the West Bank town of Tulkarm with their AK-47s, inspiring admiration in some residents, terrorizing others, and plotting what they call "military operations" against nearby Jewish settlements or Israeli cities to the west. But the armed men are not walking around anymore, certainly not in broad daylight. The few of them left after the army's frequent raids are said to be feeling hunted and alone. Many in the town are already declaring Tulkarm's intifada over. Residents of Tulkarm are no longer willing to provide refuge for the armed men in their houses, local sources say, for fear of ending up on the army's demolition list. Furthermore, Aweideh says, "The Palestinian Authority used to support us, but we've had no funding from them for the past two months." Aweideh attributes the difficulty in launching attacks to the recently constructed security barrier that now seals Tulkarm off from Israel, as well as the strict checkpoint regime that controls movement between the city and the rest of the West Bank.
2004-06-02 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive