| "In Jenin, we are at the verge of ending the fighting in the refugee camp," army spokesman Brig. Gen. Ron Kitrey told The Associated Press. "The resistance there was very tough, perhaps tougher than estimated." Kitrey made clear, however, that troops won't pull out of the Jenin camp - where Palestinian militants traditionally have been strong - once fighting ends. "We will try to search for the wanted militants, their homes, their bases, the armories and explosives stores. ... The operation will take time, as long as needed," he said. Kitrey said he doesn't expect resistance once the heavy fighting ends, though Israeli forces thus far had not penetrated the heart of the camp. Israeli soldiers have taken up positions in houses and buildings in eastern and western neighborhoods from which they have been exchanging fire with Palestinian gunmen, said Jamal Abdel Salaam, a Hamas militant group leader inside the camp. Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has pledged to try to "expedite" the military operation, in which more than 1,400 Palestinians have been arrested, but has not announced a withdrawal deadline. |