5th Day of Incursions into Balata Camp
Nablus
Angela
26 May 03

Last night marked the third day of continuous Israeli
Military operations in Nablus.



On Friday evening, following the commemeration of the
Martyrs of Balata, the Israeli Occupation Forces
entered Balata Camp with an APC and jeeps. Two
explosions were heard in the direction of Jerusalem
Street, a main thoroughfare that borders the Camp. A
jeep, with it’s lights off, parked on the corner of
Market Street directly opposite one of the houses
threatened with demolition - a violation of the Geneva
Convention articles prohibiting collective punishment.
Although the Israeli soldiers remained in the jeep, the small red
laser points of snipers’ rifles drifed across the facade
of the house opposite the threatened home. The jeep
left after approximately a half an hour,
but the military presence remained in the area for
2 hours.



On Saturday, Israeli Occupation Forces’ jeeps, hummers
and APCs approached Balata Camp on Jerusalem Street.
One APC entered one of the main streets of Balata
Camp, Market Street, where it was confronted by crowds
of children. Children pelted the APC with everything
they could lay their hands on. The APC rolled
approximately 100 meters into the camp before it
stopped. The APC remained in the street, instigating
the community to respond. The APC fired rubber coated
bullets and live rounds into the street filled with
darting children. A similiar sitiuation evolved on
Jerusalem Street, which borders Balata Camp. One child
was injured by a rubber coated bullet in Market
Street, and three were injured in Jerusalem Street.
The IOF presence remained in the area for
approximately 3 hours.

That night the military continued to maintain a
presence in the area. Jeeps, APCs and a tank rolled
back & forth on Jerusalem Street near a house that was
recently occupied by Israeli Occupation Forces, and
the smaller street just east of Jerusalem Street. At
10:45 a flare was fired into the night sky in the
direction of Askar camp. At approximately 11:45pm, a
loud explosion, possibly tank fire, occured near the
corner of Balata Street and Jerusalem Street.

Sunday evening followed the same pattern, again the
movement of tanks and APC was observed after midnight,
east of Balata Camp after 2 flares were fired into the
sky. Additionally, an unmanned drone flew in a slow
pattern over Balata Camp twice, and then proceeded in
the direction of Askar Camp.

It should be noted that these military actions that
disrupt, and antagonize, the local Palestinian
community are occuring within civilian areas. The
Israeli Occupation Forces have no stated purpose to
justify their actions, which implies that these
activities are part of their ongoing campaign to
intimidate the local community, and incite a violent
response that the IOF can then use to justify
increasing the oppression of Palestinian communities.


for more information, please contact the media
coordinators in Nablus at:
067 490 537
059 318 324