Israel pounds Ramallah security compound

The Israeli army has launched a massive attack on Palestinian security headquarters in the besieged West Bank city of Ramallah. The compound has come under intense fire from tanks and helicopter gunships. Israel claims dozens of terrorist suspects are taking refuge inside the building. The Jewish state says they are directly linked to the recent wave of Palestinian suicide bombings. According to a military source, they were ordered out by the army during the night. But a Palestinian security chief, Jibril al-Rajoub, denies the militants are in the compound. Elsewhere in the city, Palestinian leader, Yasser Arafat, remains effectively imprisoned in his headquarters. Israel began its military crackdown in Ramallah on Friday. It is an offensive it maintains is aimed at flushing out terrorists and finding weaponry. The army says that, in Ramallah alone, more than 700 people have been arrested.

Priest killed and nuns shot in Bethlehem

There's been bloodshed among the Catholic community in Bethlehem following Israel's reoccupation of the town. A Priest has been killed and six nuns have been injured by bullets fired in the street as they ran to take shelter in a Church. Meanwhile a group of Italian journalists have been trapped by Israeli troops in the Church of the Nativity, built on what Christian's believe is the birthplace of Jesus. They had been ordered to leave the city and refused, so they ran to the church. Troops are moving from house to house to try and root out Palestinian militants they believe might be behind terrorist acts committed against the Israeli people. There are reports of intense fighting in different parts of the town. The Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres said the army might stay for several weeks but they were there to capture terrorists not territory. Troops also swept into the northern city of Tulkarm imposing a curfew and telling residents "stay inside or you will be shot."

Sharon says Arafat can leave but will be "one-way ticket."

The Israeli Prime Minster Ariel Sharon says he has not ruled out the possibility of forcing the Palestinian President Yasser Arafat, who is currently stuck in his Ramallah headquarters, into exile. He says Arafat can leave but it would be a "one way ticket". At the weekend Arafat did receive visitors, sympathisers who defied the Israeli army by walking past tanks into Arafat's offices. Ariel Sharon said his Cabinet had decided to isolate and not expel Arafat. But he added that was perhaps not the best decision and forced exile might be a better option.

Islamic anger over Middle East crisis

Feelings are reaching boiling point as representatives of Islamic nations meet in Malaysia, with outrage intensifying over events in the Middle East. Foreign ministers have already denounced Israel for practising what they called "state terrorism." While, today, they rejected any moves to put a terrorist tag on Palestinian activists. A proposal to withhold oil supplies as an economic weapon has been discussed by delegates. The move would target countries classed as Israel's supporters, primarily the United States. Some delegates, though, have argued that this could be counterproductive. "How can we support our Palestinian brothers if we don't have revenues?" was the question one Kuwaiti representative asked a reporter. The idea was put forward by Saddam Hussein's Baath Party, as Iraq continues to emerge from isolation within the Arab world. Today, the Muslim ministers in Kuala Lumpur rejected unilateral action against any Islamic state in the "war on terror." This is being interpreted as a clear warning to Washington over any planned strike on Baghdad.

UN urges diplomacy in Middle East

Trying to encourage peace in the Middle East, the United Nations has once again sent a message to the region calling for a return to diplomacy. A statement released after the latest session in New York urged both Palestinians and Israeli's to do everything possible to break from the cycle of violence. U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan said, "I have briefed the council on the situation in the Middle East, which is getting worse by the day. I have appealed to them to work hard on solutions. They should not only work collectively but individually. I would want to say that now parties are locked in a logic of war, but we need to move back to a logic of peace". American president George W Bush called for restraint, urging Prime Minister Ariel Sharon not to ignore peace. He said, "I think it's very important for the Prime Minister to keep a pathway to peace open. To understand that on the one hand Israel should protect herself and on the other hand, there ought to be a pathway, a capacity to achieve a peaceful resolution to this issue". Whether any of those messages will be headed, remains to be seen.

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