Sites Holmquist trys, and often fails, to go no more than a couple of days without visiting (some of which Holmquist regularly swipes links from without attribution)
"Thousands of Palestinians defied the Israeli army's around-the-clock curfew Monday for the second straight day, and took to the streets of Nablus as shops and banks opened to accommodate them.
"If Nablus residents effectively lift the curfew on their own, such actions could spread to other West Bank cities. Palestinian residents under curfew have not previously challenged the army restrictions on a mass scale," writes Mohammed Daraghmeh of the AP in story dated July 29.
Daraghmeh goes on to write:
"There is a curfew and we are aware of the violations," military spokesman Lt. Col. Olivier Rafowicz said of the situation in Nablus. "For the moment, we are not responding."
At the edge of the city, the troops allowed trucks with supplies to enter, but blocked passenger cars. Some Palestinians said troops were firing in the air over cars to turn away those approaching the city limits.
This might end up being a big development if it is the start of shift away from terrorist actions on the part of Palestinian militants and toward mass actions.
It will also be interesting to see what the Israeli government does in response. Although I wouldn't bet on it, Ariel Sharon and company could likely stop this -with a lot of bloodshe of course- but nonetheless allow Palestinians to engage in what some commentators will no doubt call a "festival of the oppressed" as a way of allowing the Palestinians to blow off steam. posted by micah holmquist at 7/29/2002 02:55:00 PM
