"We must find the [Palestinians'] weak, painful spots and press them until they come to us on all fours begging for a cease-fire." Rehavam Ze'evi, Israeli Minister of Tourism

Sharon and company are now likely to move quickly to further "control" the Palestinians and establish their hegemonic and war-threatening policies in the Middle East. They have the new American government at the least in check, and they are managing to get important people aligned with them into key policy positions throughout the new official Washington. They have managed to not only contain, but to considerably control, Western public opinion far more than many expected a Sharon-led government would be able to quickly accomplish. They have Shimon Peres and many others from the so-called "liberal" Israeli Zionist establishment if not fully on board then at least not in effective opposition.

Meanwhile, the Arab States will prove themselves weak, confused, and co-opted once again when they meet in summit in Amman in a few days. And there is no serious and politically credible opposition either from within Israeli and Jewish circles, and certainly not any of significance from the unsophisticated and fragmented Arab and Muslim opposition groups which are themselves still nearly totally manipulated by the powers that be.

As for the Palestinian people, now they are truly paying the price for the decades of corrupt, co-opted, and inept leadership they have alternatively supported and tolerated; and for what the Arafat crowd did in the wake of the Gulf War by cooperating with the Bush/Baker ploys of those years that took them to Madrid, then to Oslo, then to Washington -- all the while allowing themselves to be more and more used and deceived, bribed and co-opted, manipulated and corrupted. Big mistakes from the past now have big prices that are having to be paid.

JERUSALEM -- AP, 23 March: A Palestinian policeman was killed in the Gaza Strip on Friday, and hundreds of Palestinians burned an effigy of Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon in a stone-throwing clash with Israeli soldiers in the West Bank.

A Sharon aide, meanwhile, confirmed that preliminary plans have been drawn up for a new Jewish settlement of 6,000 homes south of Jerusalem. The aide, Raanan Gissin, said construction would only begin in the event of a peace agreement with the Palestinians.

Earlier this week, the government approved the construction of an additional 3,000 homes in a part of Jerusalem claimed by the Palestinians for a future state.

Palestinian officials said such building plans hurt peace prospects. "Sharon began his political life by putting obstacles in the path of peace. What he is doing now is placing further obstacles," said Palestinian Cabinet minister Saeb Erekat.

In the West Bank town of El Bireh, about 700 Palestinians burned a Sharon effigy and threw stones at Israeli soldiers who fired rubber-coated steel bullets and tear gas. Eighteen demonstrators were injured by bullets and tear gas.

In the Gaza Strip, a Palestinian policeman was killed in disputed circumstances.

Palestinian officials said 25-year-old Osama Salim was killed by Israeli fire during a gun battle near the Jewish settlement of Kfar Darom. The army denied it had a role in the death, or that there was an exchange of fire near Kfar Darom.

In all, 433 people have been killed in six months of Israeli-Palestinian fighting, including 355 Palestinians, 59 Israeli Jews and 19 others.

Earlier Friday, Arafat spoke by phone with U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell. Arafat called for U.S. pressure on Israel to end restrictions on Palestinians, said Arafat aide Nabil Aburdeneh. The Palestinian leader complained that the Israeli measures are causing great harm to the Palestinian people, Aburdeneh said.

Though some barriers have been lifted, many Israeli roadblocks are still in place, and Palestinians are banned from entering Israel, idling about 130,000 Palestinians who used to work in Israel. The Israelis say the restrictions are to prevent militants from planting bombs and carrying out attacks.

Late Thursday night, a small bomb went off near a row of restaurants in Herzliya Pituach, near Tel Aviv. No one was injured. At first police said criminals were responsible, but later said that it might have been a terrorist attack.

Also Friday, Sharon said in an interview that Iran has shipped rockets to Lebanon with a range long enough to hit the center of Israel.

Sharon charged that Syria is helping Iran in a massive airlift of rockets, arms and ammunition to guerrilla groups in Lebanon. "This is a very dangerous development," Sharon told the Maariv daily.

"Iran is turning Lebanon into an international center of terrorism," Sharon warned.

One Palestinian Youth was killed in Gaza on Thursday morning by the Israeli fire when an Israeli military forces opened their bullet fire at three Palestinians under suspects that they are trying to implant and explosive near the Israeli fence which surrounds Gaza. This resulted in killing one of the three Palestinian youths.

Another Palestinian youth was seriously wounded as a result of an aggression by a group of Israeli settlers in Hebron.

Military sources said that the Palestinian youth Jihad Obeido arrived at an Israeli military siege near halhoul while he still suffered his wounds of the attack.

Violent clashes took place between tens of the Palestinian Intifada youths and the Israeli forces in Hebron which had heavy presence in the city following the visit made by Mitchael fact- find commission on the oppressive israeli acts and aggressions against the Palestinians.

The Palestinians threw stones and explosives against the Israeli forces in retaliation to the Israeli forces's live bullet enclaves by rubber and tear-gases used against the Palestinians.

The cities of Qalqilya, Ramullah and Nablus on Wednesday witnessed Palestinian demonstration in denunciation of the Israeli tanks bombardment of a position for the Palestinian police in Gaza resulted in killing one Palestinian army officer and wounding of three others.

Three Palestinians were wounded, one in a critical health condition as a result of the Israeli artillery bombardment which targeted a Palestinian quarter in Rafah after midnight on Wednesday.

The director of the state run- Abu Youssef al-Najar hospital Ridwan al-Akhras said that three citizens arrived at the hospital hit by shelling of Israeli artillery launched by the Israeli occupation soldiers against al-Barazil camp in Rafah.

In statements quoted by the Israeli radio on Thursday, the commander of Jerusalem police said that thousands of policemen were deployed in the streets and quarters of Jerusalem and fixed and mobile military barriers were installed and all Palestinian cars and shops are inspected.

Tens of Israeli settlers demonstrated on Thursday chanting slogans against the Arabs and the Palestinians and called for expelling the Palestinians from their houses in the city, The Israeli demonstrators also threw explosives at owners of Palestinian shops.

On the other hand, the chairman of the International investigation committee George Michael said that the situations in the occupied Palestinian territories are difficult and tense and require prompt treatment. He expressed hope that his committee will complete its investigations on reasons behind the eruption of the Palestinian Intifada before the end of June.

On the other hand, the Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon said in an arrival statement at the airport from Washington following a visit to the USA which lasted for four days said that he got support from Washington to his policy which rejects any negotiation with the Palestinians as long as the Intifada continues.

In a press conference at Bin Gurion airport, Sharon added " I have reached the objectives I had set to myself before I went on Sunday to Washington," stressing that there will be no negotiations under what he called pressure and violence."We will not start negotiations until calm restored back." He said.

Among the objectives Sharon set for his visit was to reach the maximum agreement between Israel and its first ally, the US and strengthen their bilateral military relations as well as consolidating contacts with President George Bush and member of his government and its friends at the Congress and the American Jews.

Sharon had also renewed his position in rejecting the resumption of negotiations with the Palestinian Authority. He said that Washington supports his positions regarding the Intifada in the occupied Palestinian territories.

Sharon told the Israeli army radio in a statement broadcast while he was on his way back to Israel from the US, that there is a full American approval and understanding on the impossibility of surrendering to " violence." He set a precondition to halt the Intifada before resuming negotiations with the Palestinian Authority. No immediate comment was made from the US on Sharon's statements. ArabicNews, 23 March.