Israel to re-take areas of West Bank

3.45pm

JERUSALEM - Israel plans to re-take parts of the West Bank and hold the territory as long as Palestinian terror attacks continue, the Israeli government has said in a statement.

The statement was issued today, hours after Israeli tanks stormed into a West Bank bastion of Palestinian militants in response to a suicide bombing that killed 19 bus passengers in Jerusalem.

The statement, issued after a meeting of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's security cabinet, said the plan would be "a change of Israel's policy in response to terror".


"Against terrorist acts, Israel will respond by capturing territories of the Palestinian Authority. These territories will be held by Israel as long as terror continues," the statement said.


Israel has launched a series of military incursions into Palestinian territory in recent weeks in what it says is an effort to flush out militants, but has pulled out soon afterwards.


The Israeli government statement began by saying that after cabinet discussions late yesterday, "it was decided to undertake a series of military actions against the Palestinian Authority, killer organisations and anyone connected to them".


"Additional terrorist attacks will bring about additional captures of territory. As a result of today's bombing in Jerusalem, Israel will soon capture Palestinian Authority territory as described in the (new) policy above," the statement said.


Israel radio said late yesterday that Israeli military operations would be "bigger and wider" than those of the past few weeks. It said the army would remain for an unspecified period in areas where Palestinians obtained self-rule under interim peace deals during the 1990s.


The Palestinian Authority denounced the latest Jerusalem bombing, denied Israeli accusations it was to blame and pledged to hunt down those responsible, saying such attacks hurt the national cause. But it called for US help to stop Israeli attacks on Palestinian areas which it said hindered its security forces.

- REUTERS

Feature: Middle East

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