Israel gives PA 24 hours to act
Prime Minister Sharon says Israel will strike terrorists as violence surges in region with fresh rocket attacks, while defense minister warns of army operation in Gaza if Palestinian Authority does not stop bloodshed
“We do not plan to allow the situation to continue," he told his cabinet. "It's clear that it is impossible to reach a political agreement when terror rages on our borders."
Violence has flared in recent days as Gaza terrorists continue to bombard Jewish settlements and Israeli towns with dozens of rockets and mortar bombs despite and have threated to stop honoring a cease-fire Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas declared with Sharon in February.
Shin Bet security services chief Yuval Diskin told the cabinet that Israel should give the Palestinian Authority 24 hours to stop terrorists and Sharon said Israel would reassess the security situation after that time.
Israel killed seven Hamas terrorists in air strikes over the weekend, resuming an internationally condemned policy of assassinations after a rocket attack killed a Jewish settler and an Islamic Jihad suicide bombing claimed the lives of five Israelis in the city of Netanya.
Gaza terrorists fired four rockets into Israel on Sunday, causing no casualties. Forces later killed a Hamas terrorist who security sources said was responsible for firing mortar bombs, infiltrating settlements and digging tunnels filled with explosives under Israeli targets.
Forces around Gaza
Sharon has said he will not allow Israel’s planned pullout from all 21 settlements in Gaza and four of 120 in the West Bank commence under fire and has vowed to strike back at Palestinian terrorists, who want to claim the withdrawal as a victory.
Israel massed dozens of forces on the outskirts of the Gaza Strip late on Friday and Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz told the cabinet that the army would launch a major ground offensive in the area, and could even act in the West Bank, within the next few days if the Palestinian Authority does not act to quell the violence.
Palestinian security forces tried to stop rocket launchers last week, sparking gun battles between the officers and the terrorists in what marked the deadliest internal fighting in the Palestinian territories in months.
Sharon blasts protesters
Sharon criticized recent attempts by Ultranationalist Jews to try to break into the Gaza Strip despite a closure the army imposed to keep them from fortifying the territory ahead of the pullout.
“A difficult situation has been created, where we are standing before a front and there are strong rampages to break into Gush Katif (Gaza settlement bloc),” he said. “The security forces must stand and fight the people who are incited to break into Gaza. They cannot be allowed to enter.”
Forces arrested 12 soldiers who refused orders to disburse a crowd of some 400 protesters who sparked clashes with officers when they tried to infiltrate through the Kissufim border crossing on Saturday. Eight people were injured during the confrontations, including a soldier who suffered a broken leg.
Sharon told Army Chief Dan Halutz he had to act to ensure protesters did not harm soldiers.
The army chief said the demonstrators spread spikes on the road at the crossing and slashes tires of military vehicles.
"This was not a protest but violence against IDF soldiers. We are investing many efforts to handle this. That is harder to do in wake of the struggle with the Palestinians"
