Israeli army reveals suspected Palestinian bomb factory

The Israeli army exploded a two-story building containing a suspected bomb lab south-east of a West Bank refugee camp as reporters looked on yesterday.

Having taken over the Palestinian-controlled area two days earlier, troops in five armoured personnel carriers set out to plant 265lb of explosives in the basement of the home where the army said roadside bombs had been made.

Before the blast, near Dheishe Refugee Camp, reporters were shown the alleged bomb lab.

In the small, dank room strewn with clothes and debris, apparently from the army raid on Friday, soldiers pointed out a large gas burner, a bowl of powder they described as material for making explosives, and large containers of what they said was nitric acid.

Part of a refrigerator motor found outside the door was slated to be used as the container for a roadside bomb to be used against troops entering the area, soldiers said. A mine could be plainly seen near the stairs leading down to the basement.

The tour with journalists - one of several in recent days - appeared to be an attempt by the army to explain its increased military activity in the Palestinian areas. The United States and Europe have harshly criticised the army operations as excessive and urged Israel to show restraint.

The army says its incursions into Palestinian refugee camps in the West Bank and Gaza Strip in the past week were attempts to root out militants and thwart attacks against Israelis, which have escalated in recent days. The Palestinians say military operations only stoke anger and provoke more attacks.

In the worst spate of violence since the fighting erupted in September 2000, more than 120 Palestinians and more than 50 Israelis have been killed in the first 10 days of March.

No suspected militants were captured during the army’s incursion into the Dheishe area near Bethlehem but the bomb workshop and two arms caches were uncovered, the army said. Four mortar shells, 12 homemade guns and three anti-tank missiles were among the weapons found.

The lab was run by a local militant, Yehieh Dahamshe, the army said, but could not say to which anti-Israeli group the suspect belonged.

Two APC vehicles roared and stuttered their way south from the outskirts of Jerusalem to just outside the Dheishe camp some six miles away.

Curious Palestinians in villages along the way emerged on patios overlooking the streets to watch the armour rumble by. In one of the vehicles a soldier stood in the open hatch with his finger on the trigger of his rifle, in clear view.

At the suspected lab, soldiers with their faces painted in brown and green camouflage emerged from the APCs holding Uzi submachine guns. Several shots were fired at them at one point but the troops returned fire and the shooting soon ceased. No injuries were reported on either side.

To evacuate residents before the blast, soldiers banged on the door of one stone home next to the targeted building. Four women with headscarves, one carrying a baby, and 10 children, emerged from the back door.

They ran away from the troops, the little children looking back occasionally as their mothers, walking quickly, yanked their arms.

Nearby, posters praising the bravery of Palestinian militants killed in fighting against Israel hung on the metal doors of the Palestinian Rental Car Company.

Soldiers took the reporters on a tour of the six-room building containing the alleged lab. In one room with peeling walls, a bottle half-full of milk sat on a table. In the corner near two beds, a neat stack of pillows and blankets had been toppled over. A poster of a Palestinian man holding an automatic rifle - a tribute to a militant killed fighting Israel - was hung over one bed.

After the soldiers laid several explosives in different rooms, their fuses crisscrossing the hallway near a pile of dirty nappies, the reporters were led to a nearby hill to view the explosion.

The powerful blast sent sparks into the air and a huge cloud of smoke over the surrounding homes.