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Blanchard

Israel rebuffs White House appeal to stop assassinations

SPECIAL TO WORLD TRIBUNE.COM
Thursday, July 5, 2001

JERUSALEM Ñ Israel's government continued both to uphold in prinicple the ceasefire and to stand behind orders to the military to assassinate Palestinian insurgency leaders.

During a cabinet meeting Wednesday, the ministers dismissed an appeal by the Bush administration to stop the assassination policy. The policy was raised during a meeting on Monday between U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell with Israeli Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Shaul Mofaz.

On Wednesday, the Israeli daily Yediot Aharonot said the military would target 26 Palestinians fugitives. The fugitives are suspected of masterminding bombing in Israeli cities as well as attacks against Jewish settlers.

For their part, Palestinians have warned of an escalation in attacks. Palestinian sources said the attacks would come at the end of a seven-day period of calm set by the U.S.-sponsored ceasefire that ended late Wednesday.

Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and senior ministers have agreed to adopt tougher measures against leaders of the Palestinian war as intelligence alerts indicated the bombing campaign against the Jewish state would escalate. Officials said the bombings could resume as early as Thursday.

As a result, the Cabinet on Wednesday approved the continuation of what ministers termed was Israel's ceasefire while providing a freer hand to elite military units to assassinate those regarded as organizing Palestinian attacks against Israelis. So far, five Palestinians were killed this week in the West Bank and another two Palestinian Authority officials were arrested near Ramallah.

"We have come to the conclusion that this situation can no longer continue," Deputy Prime Minister Silvan Shalom said. "I have a deep apocalyptical feeling that we are facing a terrible calamity," Israeli opposition leader Yossi Sarid said.

On Wednesday, a Palestinian fugitive was shot and seriously wounded in the West Bank city of Hebron. The fugitive was identified as Hazem Natsheh, a 22-year-old member of the ruling Fatah movement. Palestinian sources said Natsheh was shot by Israeli commandos.

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