Uprising Leaders Issue Call for New Strikes

Underground leaders in the occupied lands urged Palestinians on Wednesday to “burn the earth with fire and anger” in continued rebellion.

Instructions for more Arab strikes, boycotts and other resistance appeared in a new underground leaflet. It was distributed as soldiers rounded up at least 11 Arab journalists and other community leaders in overnight raids.

In the West Bank, Israeli soldiers forced merchants to close their shops as punishment for participating in a two-day general strike, Palestinian sources said. The army had no comment.

The bulletin from the Unified National Leadership for the Uprising in the Occupied Territories called for “a complete boycott of the Zionists and asks the people to ready themselves for civil disobedience by storing food in houses, enough for at least a month.”

The leaflet ordered demonstrations on Friday, the Muslim sabbath, a “day of anger” and general strike Sunday and a march by teachers to protest the closing of Palestinian schools.

Meanwhile, the editors of Al Fajr, an Arabic-language newspaper published in Jerusalem, said three of its reporters were among those detained in Wednesday’s roundup by Israeli military authorities. Each was sentenced to 15 days’ administrative detention.

The paper’s managing editor was put under administrative detention for six months last week in a move that was criticized by the U.S. State Department.

Defense Minister Yitzhak Rabin, speaking at a meeting of B’nai B’rith leaders from around the world, said the uprising has the same goals as Palestinian “terror organizations” and declared that “terror must be met by force.”

Doctors at Ramallah Hospital in the West Bank said a 19-year-old Arab died of gunshot wounds suffered in a clash with Israeli soldiers last month in a village near Bethlehem. An army spokesman said reports of the death are being investigated.

At least 176 Palestinians have been killed since the uprising began Dec. 9.