Palestinians urged to defy curfew

The Palestinian governor of Nablus is calling on residents of other towns to ignore a 40-day Israeli army curfew, following two days of defiance that restored a semblance of normal life in his city.

In another development, Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat clashed yesterday with his new interior minister over police appointments - the first sign of trouble since Arafat announced reforms in his government last month.

And early today, a Palestinian entered a house in the Jewish settlement of Itamar near Nablus and stabbed a settler and his wife, seriously wounding them, the rescue service spokesman and Israel Radio said. Security guards at the settlement killed the intruder.

In Nablus yesterday, thousands of Palestinians filled the streets and food shops, banks and offices opened on the second day of the largest demonstration yet against the Israeli curfew confining residents to their homes.

Israeli soldiers in armoured vehicles ringing the city stood by without response, a contrast to tough reactions to earlier violations, when they even opened fire on people on the streets because of misunderstandings over the curfew’s duration.

‘‘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.’’

In Ramallah, Arafat vetoed Abdel Razak Yehiyeh’s order to appoint a police commander and dismiss seven officers, said an official in Arafat’s office. The official said Yehiyeh complained that under the new arrangement, Arafat did not have the authority to cancel his orders.

Yehiyeh was a key part of Arafat’s Cabinet reshuffle June 13, as part of a reform of the Palestinian Authority security arm. Arafat held the post of interior minister before; Yehiyeh was to replace him as commander of security.

The two were meeting today to try to settle their differences, but Yehiyeh cancelled his trip to the United States this week and planned to leave for Jordan later today, the official said.

Arafat, meanwhile, issued another call for an end to the suicide attacks. Speaking in English after meeting US civil rights leader Jesse Jackson, Arafat said: ‘‘I reiterate our commitment to the peace of the brave, away from violence, state terror, suicide bombers, bloodshed and confusion, which don’t serve the interests of Israelis and Palestinians.’’

Israel clamped curfews on the seven Palestinian towns and cities it occupied last month after back-to-back suicide bomb attacks killed 26 Israelis in Jerusalem.

The Israelis said the harsh measure of ordering more than 700,000 people to stay inside their homes was necessary to prevent more attacks.

‘‘I’ve been confined to my home for more than a month. I have eight children, we’ve eaten all we have,’’ said Tamer Adnan, who broke the curfew to work at his falafel stand. ‘‘I’m just fighting to get food for my kids.’’

Palestinians said the success of the action in Nablus might spread to other places. Nablus governor Mahmoud Aloul, who had urged his people to defy the curfew, said Palestinians should follow the Nablus model. ‘‘People who can’t find food and need medicine and treatment should break the doors of their jail,’’ he told The Associated Press.

The curfews in Nablus and Jenin, in the northern West Bank, have been lifted only about once a week. In contrast, the Israelis are already lifting the curfews most days in some other towns. Yesterday the curfews were lifted for the day in Tulkarem, Qalqiliya and Hebron.

The restrictions have worsened already difficult conditions for Palestinians in the West Bank. International aid agencies warn that some are facing malnutrition.

Preliminary figures from a US government report showed that 30 percent of Palestinian children were suffering from malnutrition, up from 7% since the fighting began.

Israel responded by saying it would release £10m (€15.9m) to the Palestinian Authority yesterday, the first such transfer since fighting erupted in September 2000. Israel is holding about £400m (€636.3m) earmarked for the Palestinians.

The transfer was to be the first of three instalments. Up to now Israel refused to release the money, saying that it might be used to finance terror attacks. A Palestinian official said the transfer would be completed today.

Under interim peace accords, Israel collects customs and taxes for Palestinian goods transiting Israel and transfers the money to the Palestinian Authority. Israel stopped the transfers shortly after the fighting erupted.