Israel linked West Bank Palestinians with the al-Qaida network for the first time today when a military court charged two youths with receiving funds from the jihad group to carry out a co-ordinated double bombing in Jerusalem.

Amid tight security and a sea of green and yellow flags, Palestinians cast ballots today in their first parliamentary election in a decade – a cliffhanger vote on whether to pursue peace or confrontation with Israel.

PALESTINIAN gunmen linked to the ruling Fatah movement killed one of their party leaders yesterday, increasing tensions on the eve of parliamentary balloting and raising doubts about a new pledge by armed groups in the West Bank and Gaza to hold their fire during the vote.

Israeli troops shot dead a wanted member of the militant Palestinian Hamas group in the West Bank town of Tulkarem overnight during an exchange of fire.

The Islamic Jihad militant group claimed responsibility today for a suicide bombing in the West Bank that killed one soldier and two Palestinians.

A Palestinian suicide bomber blew himself up near an Israeli military checkpoint in the northern West Bank today, killing one Israeli and three Palestinians, military officials said.

An explosion went off near an Israeli checkpoint in the northern West Bank today, wounding two people, Israeli authorities said.

PRIME Minister Ariel Sharon widened his lead over his rivals yesterday as Hamas said its nine-month truce is over.

Israeli troops today caught a Palestinian teenager who had strapped explosives to his body, the army said.

A suicide bomber blew himself up in a line of people waiting to enter a shopping centre in the northern Israeli town of Netanya, killing at least five people and wounding 35 others.

Israel’s prime minister Ariel Sharon lashed out against terrorism and praised the world for taking on Syria and Iran, as rebels in his own party continued moves to force him out of office.

Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has demanded Palestinian action against terror, singled out Syria and Iran as its sponsors and – referring to recent UN actions – said the international community is standing up to “extremist countries” for the first time.

A PALESTINIAN suicide bomber standing in line at a crowded falafel stand blew himself up yesterday in the central Israeli town of Hadera.

A top Mideast envoy has criticised Israel in especially tough language for moving too slowly on negotiations to open Gaza’s borders, saying the country is behaving almost as if the withdrawal from the Gaza Strip never happened.

ISRAELI troops killed a top Palestinian fugitive and a close accomplice in a West Bank shoot-out yesterday, prompting threats of “unprecedented” revenge by the violent Islamic Jihad group.

Two Palestinian militants were killed in an exchange of fire with Israeli soldiers early today.

A deadlock over Israeli troop withdrawals in the West Bank and further releases of Palestinian prisoners clouded prospects today that Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas would meet this week for the first time since Israel’s Gaza Strip pullout.

A previously unknown group today said it had kidnapped three Hamas officials in the West Bank, accusing the Islamic group of putting itself above the law.

Israeli aircraft unleashed a barrage of missiles at targets in the Gaza Strip early today and troops fired live artillery shells into the area for the first time, pushing forward with an offensive despite a pledge by Islamic militants to halt their recent rocket attacks against Israel.

Israeli forces shot and killed two Islamic Jihad gunmen early today, Palestinians and Israeli military officials said.

Israeli forces today evacuated an old army base in the northern West Bank used last as a staging area for removing settlers and protesters from two settlements last month, but soldiers shot dead a young Palestinian who entered the base too quickly.

Israel demanded tougher action against militants and Palestinians blamed the Jewish state for an escalation in violence after a Palestinian suicide bomber targeted a bus station in Beersheba.

MILITANTS said yesterday they will renew attacks on Israel, despite a six-month ceasefire, after Israeli soldiers killed five Palestinians, at least three of them armed, in a West Bank arrest raid.

The Palestinian militant groups Hamas and Al Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades vowed revenge today for the deaths of five people killed in a late-night Israeli raid on the West Bank refugee camp of Tulkarem.

Israeli troops today sealed off a cluster of Gaza Strip settlements marked for evacuation in order to stop an influx of hard-line pullout opponents, in the government’s most sweeping measure yet to prepare for next month’s withdrawal from 25 settlements.

Israeli forces raided the Palestinian town of Tulkarem today, killing a police officer who fired on troops hunting down Islamic Jihad militants responsible for a suicide bombing. A second police officer was critically wounded.

Palestinian officials said today they have reached a tentative agreement to absorb about 700 gunmen in the West Bank city of Nablus into the Palestinian security services, pushing forward with a campaign aimed at disarming rogue militants roaming the Palestinian areas.

Israel has agreed to hand over the West Bank town of Jenin to the Palestinians before withdrawing from four nearby West Bank settlements and the Gaza Strip this summer, the Palestinian Interior Ministry said today.

Mohammed Daraghmeh, Ramallah

Israeli Defence Minister Shaul Mofaz said today that he is freezing the handover of West Bank towns to Palestinian security control because the Palestinians have failed to honour their promise to disarm militants.

An Israeli soldier and a Palestinian fugitive were killed in a West Bank shoot-out today, part of a marked increase in tension in recent weeks despite a three-month-old truce.

Flatbed trucks rumbled out of the Gaza Strip today carrying office furniture, computers and uniforms out of an army base, the Israeli military’s first concrete step toward a planned pullout this summer.

Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas ordered a crackdown on Ramallah militants today after a group of gunmen fired at his compound while he was inside, security officials said.

A deal for the Israelis hand over the West Bank town of Tulkarem to Palestinian security control was reached today after appearing to break down in earlier talks.

ISRAEL is set to withdraw its troops from a second West Bank city today in a gesture to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas after he won a commitment from militants to hold their fire against Israelis.

Israel will hand the West Bank town of Jericho over to Palestinian security control tomorrow, boosting cooperation as moves were underway to get militants to agree a formal truce with Israel.

Israeli and Palestinian security commanders failed to reach agreement today on the handover of the West Bank town of Jericho to Palestinian security control, but decided to meet a second time to try to salvage a deal.

The West Bank town of Jericho and surrounding areas will be transferred to the control of Palestinians within the next few days – possibly as early as this evening – to be followed by the town of Tulkarem, a senior Israeli Defence Ministry official said today.

The isolated oasis town of Jericho and the area around it will be the first of five West Bank towns to be transferred to Palestinian control, an Israeli official said today.

Israel intends to hand over the West Bank town of Tulkarem to Palestinian control this week, officials on both sides said, marking the resumption of confidence-building measures halted after a suicide bombing killed five Israelis in Tel Aviv.

Israel has agreed to remove major roadblocks as part of its withdrawal from five West Bank towns in coming weeks – the most tangible improvement in the lives of ordinary Palestinians as a result of a fledgling truce.

Israeli Cabinet ministers today approved the release of 900 Palestinian prisoners – 500 of them next week – and a withdrawal from the West Bank town of Jericho.

Mark Lavie, Jerusalem

Israeli gunfire killed a 10-year-old Palestinian schoolgirl today, prompting militants to fire several rounds of mortar shells at Jewish settlements and endangering an unofficial ceasefire between the two sides.