The Voice of Palestine radio station is back on the air - only hours after Israeli troops bombed the deserted Palestinian television and radio station today. The attack was seen as a move to increase pressure on Yasser Arafat and the Palestinian Authority.
Broadcasting from a different location, the radio station called on Palestinians to "take to the streets, create human shields, and participate in the battle to defend the resistance, the intifadah, and the symbols of our national sovereignty".
Earlier, about a dozen tanks surrounded the hilltop broadcasting building, and Israeli soldiers entered the four-story complex, according to Palestinian security sources.
The Palestinians had evacuated the building before the soldiers arrived and there were no confrontations, the sources said.
The Israeli army later said in a statement that it had confiscated equipment before blowing up the building.
Israel has frequently accused the Palestinian Authority of using its television and radio facilities to broadcast inflammatory reports and comments that it says fuel the Middle East conflict.
Palestinian Broadcasting says its material reflects the mood among Palestinians, who feel besieged by Israel's military.
The Israelis have bombed Palestinian broadcasting offices in both the West Bank and Gaza Strip previously, knocking television and radio broadcasts off the air temporarily.
The Palestinians still have a number of small, private television and radio stations that operate in the West Bank and Gaza.
PA