Four PA Terrorists Arrested, Four Killed in Ramallah Raid 23:17 Jan 04, '07 / 14 Tevet 5767 by Nissan Ratzlav-Katz

Four Palestinian Authority terrorists were arrested and four other people were killed on Thursday when IDF troops operating in Ramallah encountered enemy resistance. One soldier was lightly hurt.

An IDF spokeswoman said that one wanted PA terrorist escaped capture. The operation was the largest in Ramallah, the seat of the PA's governing bodies, since last May.

The special undercover force initially sent to apprehend wanted PA terrorists in the city called in a backup unit for support and additional firepower as the clash with enemy gunmen developed. Heavy armored vehicles were deployed as IDF forces exchanged intense fire with the PA forces in central Ramallah, leading to the deaths of the four PA residents. At least 20 other people were injured in the crossfire and PA sources said that two of the injured were journalists.

Saeb Erekat, senior PA negotiator and top aide to PA chairman Mahmoud Abbas, condemned the operation and its timing, several hours before a scheduled meeting between Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak. "Such incursions and such Israeli policies are absolutely undermining such efforts," he told the Al-Jazeera television network.

Abbas harshly condemned the IDF operation as well, saying it "proved that the Israeli calls for peace and security are false." In a statement released to the press, Abbas appealed to the international community to rein in Israel and demanded US$5 million as compensation for damages sustained by Ramallah residents during the clash.

Speaking in Sharm El-Sheikh, following a meeting with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said that Israel regrets the deaths of innocent civilians.

"It must be remembered," Olmert noted, "that Israel must take measures to prevent terrorists from harming Israeli civilians. The operation today was aimed at arresting a terrorist who has harmed innocent people. During the operation, Israeli soldiers came under fire and, to my regret, things developed not as originally planned and people were hurt even though they were not involved. It was not our intention, nor our desire."

In a separate incident, IDF soldiers shot and injured a wanted PA terrorist in Bethlehem. After his capture, he was treated at an Israeli hospital. The terrorist, a Fatah member, was involved in shooting attacks, recruitment of other terrorists, bomb-making and weapons smuggling.