Israel closes off West Bank and Gaza

ISRAEL yesterday clamped a closure on the West Bank and Gaza, banning virtually all Palestinians from Israel, in its first response to a suicide bombing that killed five Israelis outside a shopping centre.

Israeli officials also pledged painful retaliation for Monday’s suicide bombing by the Islamic Jihad group in the coastal city of Netanya.

“We decided to operate in a much broader, much deeper and more intensive manner against the Islamic Jihad infrastructure, and I hope that we will be able to prevent such attacks in the future,” Defence Minister Shaul Mofaz said.

Israeli security officials said the army would target Islamic Jihad operatives in the West Bank, both through arrest raids and targeted killings. The army will also renew airstrikes in the Gaza Strip in response to any rocket attacks launched from the area.

The closure prevented thousands of Palestinian merchants and labourers from reaching jobs in Israel, dealing a tough blow to the poverty-stricken local economy, although Israel permitted Gaza’s main cargo crossing to remain open. The army said the closure would remain in effect indefinitely.

Israel has long demanded that the Palestinians rein in militant groups as a condition for restarting peace talks. Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas has so far resisted the calls, fearing a civil war and preferring instead to seek a dialogue with the armed groups.

Yesterday, Palestinian security forces arrested four Islamic Jihad members in the northern West Bank. The arrests drew criticism from Islamic Jihad, which accused the Palestinian Authority of carrying out Israel’s work.