Stop suicide attacks, Palestinian urges
In an interview published yesterday, Interior Minister Abdel Razak Yehiyeh said he had told the leaders of Palestinian groups, including Hamas and Islamic Jihad, to stop the bombings.
"Suicide attacks are contrary to the Palestinian tradition, against international law and harm the Palestinian people," the retired general told the Israeli newspaper Yediot Ahronot.
"Children were exploited for these attacks," Yehiyeh said. Several of the bombers have been teenagers.
Palestinian intellectuals have also called for a halt to the bombings. But polls show most Palestinians support attacks on Israelis, as a way of settling scores.
Meanwhile, Israel's chief of police warned that despite relative calm over the last three weeks, Palestinian militants were still intent on launching attacks on Israeli citizens.
"I don't perceive less motivation to carry out terror attacks," police commissioner Shlomo Aharonishki said.
Hamas has promised to avenge the deaths of four civilians killed by Israeli tank fire in Gaza early yesterday."
