In Other Festive Palestinian News

Meanwhile, in Lebanon, the fighting continues to rage in a Palestinian refugee "camp" near Tripoli. The al Qaeda-affiliated Fatah al-Islam group has vowed to fight to the death. The Lebanese army, at this point at least, appears to be willing to help out with that. Unfortunately, they are taking casualties that look to be somewhat higher than the number of jihadis the're granting wishes to.

NAHR AL-BARED, Lebanon (Reuters) - Fighting between the Lebanese army and al Qaeda-inspired militants in north Lebanon entered its fourth week on Sunday and three soldiers died from wounds sustained in the conflict.

A military source said the three deaths overnight raised to 55 the army's death toll in the north Lebanon fighting — Lebanon's worst internal violence since the 1975-1990 civil war.

At least 42 militants from the Fatah al-Islam group and 31 civilians have been killed since fighting erupted on May 20 at the Nahr al-Bared Palestinian refugee camp.

The army says the militants triggered the conflict by attacking its positions around the camp and on the outskirts of the nearby city of Tripoli. Fatah al-Islam says it has been acting in self defense and has vowed to fight to the death.

"There is still extreme tension," the military source told Reuters. "We are tightening our grip."

Sporadic bursts of machinegun fire were heard on Sunday at the camp — home to some 40,000 before the fighting forced thousands to flee, mostly to a nearby Palestinian camp.

The army pounded Nahr al-Bared on Saturday with artillery in some of the heaviest fighting since the standoff began.

A Palestinian source in the camp said at least one civilian was killed on Saturday but the toll could be higher. "He was hit in the chest and bled to death because there were no ambulances," the source said.

Rescue workers have been unable to give an accurate death toll because of the difficulty of moving in the camp — a sprawling warren of alleyways on the Mediterranean.

Please note the language being used by the people who started the war to accuse the Lebanese of bad conduct. Sounds pretty much exactly like Hezbollah accusing Israel, doesn't it? And the press dutifully reports it, giving it full credence with no proof whatsoever.