• Military Menu                       

• Introduction
• Systems
• Facilities
• Agencies
• Industry
• Operations
• Countries
• Hot Documents
• News
• Reports
• Policy
• Budget
• Congress
• Links

• WMD
• Intelligence
• Homeland Security
• Space

More than 30 people have been injured in scuffles between Jewish settlers and Israeli security personnel who dismantled an outpost of Jewish settlers outpost in the West Bank, Thursday. Hundreds of settlers tried to prevent the team of Israeli soldiers and police from tearing down the tiny Mitzpeh Yitzhar outpost near the Palestinian town of Nablus.

Settlers had placed cars in the road and set fire to surrounding shrubbery in a bid to keep the demolition team from reaching the site. But all the tents and other structures at the site were removed by nightfall. Israel's action marks the first time it has removed a populated settler outpost in the West Bank, in line with the "road map" plan for Middle East peace. The "road map" calls for the immediate removal of such outposts, most of which settlers set up without Israeli government approval.

Settlers have set up at least 60 such rogue outposts in the West Bank over the last two years. Israeli forces took down 10 unpopulated outposts last week. Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon promised that some of the outposts would be removed when he met earlier this month with President Bush and Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas at a summit in Jordan.

Meanwhile, the Palestinian militant group Islamic Jihad has claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing that killed the bomber and the owner of an Israeli grocery store earlier Thursday. The bomber detonated his explosives in the store near the northern Israeli town of Beit Shean. Israeli police say they suspect the bomb went off prematurely and that the bomber's target may have been a nearby bus stop.

Speaking to reporters Thursday, in Bangladesh, U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell condemned the latest suicide bombing and confirmed he would visit Israel and the Palestinian territories on Friday with the hope of restoring momentum to peace efforts.

Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas has been trying to persuade militant Palestinian groups to halt attacks on Israeli civilians. Mr. Abbas held separate talks in Gaza City Wednesday with leaders of Islamic Jihad and Hamas, but failed to reach an agreement on a cease-fire.