Three Palestinians Killed as Sharon Plots Unilateral Moves

29/12/2003| IslamWeb

Three Palestinians were reportedly shot dead by Israeli occupation army fire overnight Sunday near the Jewish settlement of Netzarim in the Gaza Strip. Occupation troops were preparing to retrieve the bodies at first light. Sharon Plots Unilateral Moves Ariel Sharon yesterday pushed ahead with a controversial plan to disengage from the peace process as new talks aimed at securing a ceasefire from Palestinian armed groups were lined up. Sharon appointed a general as the head of a new national security council with orders to prepare the disengagement plan which would involve the setting up of a new "security border", a statement from the premier's office said. Sharon's disengagement plan has been widely criticised, with Washington warning that any unilateral measures must not impede the creation of an independent Palestinian state. **Quraya Seeks Support and Funds*** The violence coincided with the visit of Palestinian PM Ahmad Quraya to Saudi Arabia where he was hoping to persuade officials to become more involved in Israeli-Palestinian peace efforts and to step up its financial support for the cash-strapped Palestinian Authority. In 2002, Saudi Arabia presented its own proposal for Middle East peace that was partially incorporated into road map. The visit will be Quraya's first to the Gulf region since he became prime minister in October. "I will ask (Saudi Arabia) to play a role with the international community to pressure the Israelis to implement the road map," Quraya said. Palestinian Foreign Minister Nabil Shath said the Palestinians would ask the Saudis for help in "encouraging Gulf states to support us financially." The Palestinian economy has been badly harmed by more than three years of violence, and more than 60 percent of the Palestinian Authority budget is supplied by international donors. **PHOTO CAPTION*** Palestinians carry for burial the body of Islamic Jihad's top commander in the Gaza Strip Mekled Hameid, 39, during his funeral procession in the Jabaliya refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip, Friday Dec. 26, 2003. (AP Photo/Adel Hana)