Israel braces for rocket attacks after baby's death

TEL AVIV — The Palestinian Authority is expected to escalate attacks over the next few days with such weapons as rockets and missiles.

Israeli defense officials said the escalation could come as a result of the killing of a Palestinian baby in an Israeli attack on the Gaza city of Khan Yunis on Monday. The Israeli shelling was in retaliation for a Palestinian mortar attack on nearby Jewish settlements. Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has apologized for the death.

"We are greatly saddened by every loss of life," Sharon said. "We have a burning desire to reach peace. No doubt that we believe that the Palestinian Authority must fight terrorism and a commitment to fight violence. I would like to tell you in a very frank way, we will not pay protection money. We don't have to pay in order to create a situation that we will not be killed.

I see a two stage plan., the first phase where we have to ease restrictions while fighting terrorism, not violence but a total cessation of violence, then we start negotiations."

Israeli government sources said the PA has obtained such weapons as Katyusha rockets and anti-aircraft missiles. They said these weapons have been ordered by PA Chairman Yasser Arafat from Iranian-backed elements in Lebanon.

On Monday evening, Israel's navy displayed the booty of a Lebanese ship captured on its way to the Gaza coast. The fishing boat, seized on Monday near the northern Israeli town of Rosh Hanikra, was carrying rocket-propelled grenades, SA-7 anti-aircraft missiles, mortars, Katyusha rockets, mines and assault rifles. About 50 Katyusha rockets were found.

Israeli officials said they are certain that the PA has already received such weapons from other sources. "We have to assume that they have already succeeded," Defense Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer said. "We have heard this for many months. Their attempts are not only from the sea, rather from every direction. We have to assume that they already succeeded."

Israeli officials called U.S. ambassador Martin Indyk and many defense attaches based in Israel to examine the booty seized from the ship and displayed at the Israeli naval command in Haifa. The officials said the rockets would have been placed Tel Aviv in the range of Palestinian gunners based in the West Bank. In Washington, Israeli Finance Minister Silvan Shalom briefed U.S. National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice regarding the seized Lebanese ship.

The Lebanese boat, called the Santorini, was spotted by an Israeli naval surveillance plane. Military sources said a naval boat then intercepted the Lebanese vessel without meeting resistance. Four members on board were arrested.

The sources said the weapons were supplied by the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-General Command, headed by Ahmed Jibril. The weapons were to have been placed in barrels and dumped overboard near the Gaza coast. The barrels were expected to have been swept to the coast by the tide.

PA officials denied that the ship was planning to deliver the weapons to their forces. They said Jibril had no connections to the PA.

Meanwhile, Palestinian gunners continued mortar attacks on Jewish settlements in the Gaza Strip. On Tuesday morning, the gunners fired a motar at the Jewish settlement of Morag mortars and throughout Monday toward settlements in central and southern Gaza. Nobody was reported injured.

On early Tuesday, the body of an Israeli settler was found near the West Bank city of Nablus. The body of the man, responsible for guarding the orchard of the community of Itamar, was riddled with bullets and his army-issued rifle was taken.

In another development, a Palestinian delegation begins talks in Baghdad for Iraqi help in the mini-war against Israel. The delegation is headed by PA Public Works Minister Azzam Ahmad, who is also the Palestinian envoy to Baghdad. Iraq is regarded as a leading supporter of PA Chairman Yasser Arafat.