Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - July 3, 2004, Winnipeg, Manitoba Winnipeg free press saturday july 3, 2004 Canada / world a11 Israel to review legality of Barrier Jerusalem ? Israel will review every Kilometre of the 500-Kilometre stretch of its West Bank Barrier not yet built to Check whether palestinian rights and International Law Are being violated an official said yesterday. Prime minister Ariel Sharon was quoted thursday As saying he would be pre pared to move the separation Barrier closer to Israel wherever possible to avoid trapping palestinians in fenced in enclaves. The Promise of a review came in response to an israeli supreme court ruling earlier this week that most of a 40-Kilometre segment of Barrier near Jerusalem must be rerouted because it would cause too much hardship on palestinians. The Barrier ? a Complex of fences Walls barbed wire and trenches ? eventually will Cut off the entire West Bank from Israel and have a total length of More than 680 Kilometres. About 25 per cent of the Barrier has been built. Palestinians contend that the Barrier amounts to a land grab and Israel should have built it on israeli territory not in the occupied West Bank. The Barrier is a key element of Sharon a plan of unilateral disengage ment from the palestinians which also includes a withdrawal from the Gaza strip and four Small West Bank Settle ments by september 2005. In new violence yesterday israeli sol Diers killed three palestinians ? All unarmed according to witnesses ? in separate Gaza clashes. A fourth pales Tinian a 15-year-old boy died of wounds suffered in an israeli missile strike thursday. Also palestinian militants fired three homemade rockets toward the Border town of Derot. One fell in town causing no injuries and the other two hit open Fields. In the West Bank town of a Tatiya the palestinian resistance killed a Man with a burst of automatic fire in a Public Square after accusing him of collaborating with Israel and sexually abusing his two Young daughters. About 500 people cheered on gunmen from the Al Asa martyrs brigades a group linked to Yasser Arafat a Fatah movement. Television footage showed the Man on his Knees his head bowed before he was killed. ? associated press by Greg Myre j Jerusalem ? in an execution style killing carried out in front of a cheering crowd yesterday a palestinian Man accused of collaborating with Israel and sexually molesting his Young daughters was placed on his Knees in a Public Square and shot by palestinian gunmen. Palestinian vigilantes have killed dozens of suspected collaborators with Israel in the past few years and killed hundreds in the first palestinian uprising in the late 1980s and Early 1990s. While the shooting of Muhammad Rafiq Abdel Razek was similar to Many other executions his death attracted widespread attention because it took place before hundreds of palestinians in the Centre of a West Bank town and was captured on videotape. Abdel Razek who was in his 40s, was recently seized from a Hospital and was brought yesterday to the town of a Tatiya by members of the Al Asa martyrs brigades a group linked to palestinian Leader Yasser Arafat a Fatah movement. Under interrogation Abdel Razek acknowledged that he had worked with the israelis since 1989 and that he had abused his two teenage daughters for Many years Jamal Abu Al Rob a local Asa Leader was quoted As saying by the associated press. Abdel Razek had been hospitalized after being stabbed by a relative Over the sexual abuse allegation relatives said according to associated press. With his hands tied behind his Back Abdel Razek was brought to a Public Square in a Tatiya. The Asa gunmen announced the charges against him and asked the crowd what should be done. Kill him immediately shouted the crowd which quickly swelled to several Hundred. The gunmen unleashed bursts of fire at Abdel Razek who was on his Knees with his head bowed and he died instantly. Israel maintains a vast network of paid palestinian informants who provide information that helps the israeli Security forces track Down wanted palestinians. The palestinian authority has arrested dozens of palestinians suspected of collaborating with Israel. But the pales Tinian Legal system has largely collapsed in Many areas during the past four years of israeli palestinian fighting and the practice of vigilante killings has re emerged. The palestinian leadership has denounced such killings but has not acted against those who have carried them out. In other violence yesterday three palestinians were reported killed by israeli troops in the Gaza strip the scene of daily clashes this week. Israeli soldiers fatally shot a Palestin Ian who was just a few Yards from the Entrance to the jewish settlement of Zetzar Hazan the israeli military said though it did not report finding any weapons on the Man. In the Southern town of Rajah soldiers found the Entrance to a Tunnel the kind often used for smuggling weapons from neighbouring Egypt military officials said. ? associated press explosives were found at Airport turks say by James c. Helicke Istanbul Turkey ? police disclosed yesterday that they found explosives at Istanbul a Airport last week ? a discovery that came Only hours before prime minister recep Tayyib Erdogan arrived in the City and two Days before . Pres ident George w. Bush and other nato leaders came for an Alliance Summit. Police spokesman Ramazan or acknowledged police had located and defused explosives in a parking garage in Istanbul a Airport late Friday last week but provided no other details. Another police official who spoke on condition of anonymity said some six kilograms of Tri acetone tripe oxide or tap an explosive that has been used by turkish marxist groups was found in a parking garage. The official said a Small marxist group Mlp desk was believed to have been involved in the Airport plot. The same group claimed responsibility for an Ankara blast last thursday out Side the hotel where Bush had been scheduled to stay. Turkish officials had repeatedly denied news reports last Friday that explosives had been found at the Airport an apparent Effort to Calm tensions before the Summit. Or confirmed during his weekly news conference yesterday that the bomb had been defused. He was responding to journalists questions. The bomb was found in a tire in a parking garage newspapers reported. It is not Clear if the bomb could have caused damage beyond the garage. The police official said the explosives found at the Airport matched those used in another Small bombing tuesday in an empty turkish airlines plane that came hours before Bush left Istanbul. That attack injured three workers cleaning the plane. A bomb also exploded last thursday on an Istanbul bus killing four people and injuring 14 others hours after the attack at Bush a hotel. Security in Istanbul has been of Spe Cial concern since last year when four suicide truck bombings blamed on Al Aida killed More than 60 people. ? associated press ;