The Israeli military today isolated the Gaza Strip, declaring it a “closed military zone” to prevent Jewish extremists from going in after a series of violent incidents.

ISRAEL said yesterday it had resumed an assassination policy against some Palestinian militants and could mount air strikes to ensure its Gaza pull-out does not come under fire.

An Israeli Arab member of parliament today claimed that Israeli soldiers desecrated the Koran, the Islamic holy book, while searching Palestinian security prisoners.

Israel’s parliament removed the last legislative obstacle before implementation of this summer’s pullout from Gaza and part of the West Bank, easily passing the state budget and saving Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s government from collapse.

Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas today pledged to track down and punish militants responsible for a suicide bombing that killed four Israelis at a Tel Aviv nightclub, and Palestinian security officials pointed to the Lebanese guerrilla group Hezbollah as the apparent mastermind.

A suicide bomber carrying 20lbs of explosives blew himself up in a crowd of Israelis queuing outside a nightclub near Tel Aviv’s beachfront promenade, killing at least four people, wounding dozens and shattering an unofficial Middle East truce.

PALESTINIAN Prime Minister Ahmed Qureia yesterday promised a drastic overhaul of his cabinet, signalling the start of long-sought reform, after his original lineup of political old-timers prompted an angry outcry and threats of a no-confidence vote.

POP diva Madonna yesterday called for world peace at a conference on Jewish mysticism - a highlight of her five-day pilgrimage to the Holy Land.

The Material Girl was flying to the Holy Land today on a spiritual quest.

ISRAEL has no immediate plans to kill Yasser Arafat, despite Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's latest threats against the Palestinian leader, Israel's vice premier said yesterday.

Israel has no imminent plans to kill Yasser Arafat, Israel’s vice premier said today after the United States criticised remarks by Prime Minister Ariel Sharon that he was no longer bound by an earlier promise not to harm the Palestinian leader.

Abdel Aziz Rantissi was clearly one of those leading the battle against Israel, against Jews, co-ordinating actions between the various terrorist organisations in Gaza — and, since we failed to bring him to justice, we brought justice to him.

AFTER Israel’s assassination of two of its leaders in less than a month, Hamas has decided to keep the identity of its new supremo in the Palestinian territories a secret.

Terror group Hamas secretly appointed a new Gaza Strip chief today, but refused to reveal his identity after Israel assassinated two Hamas leaders in less than a month.

Israeli officials said today they were targeting overall Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal as part of their campaign against the Islamic militant group.

Israeli police are said to be considering putting bags of pig fat on buses and in shopping centres to try to deter Muslim suicide bombers.

The Israeli parliament today passed a new law to force Palestinians who marry Israelis to live separate lives or move out of of the country.

The Israeli and Palestinian prime ministers held a two-hour meeting today, kicking off 10 days of international diplomacy aimed at strengthening a fragile Middle East cease-fire and advancing the US-backed “road map” peace plan.

A 55-YEAR-OLD Palestinian woman was killed yesterday and her son injured in an explosion at the West Bank farm of a fugitive Islamic militant.

A 55-year-old Palestinian woman was killed today and her son injured in an explosion at the West Bank farm of a fugitive Islamic militant.

Israeli forces hammered Yasser Arafat’s office and police compounds in Gaza and police buildings in the West Bank, killing 12, after six soldiers were killed in a Palestinian attack.