Cabinet ministers flee to escape assassination

Two Israel Cabinet ministers and their families have fled their homes after security services told them of plans by Palestinian militants to attack them.

The precautions followed last month’s assassination of Tourism Minister Rehavam Zeevi by militants from the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, in revenge for Israel’s killing of PFLP leader Mustafa Zibri.

Minister without portfolio Dan Naveh, his wife and two small children left their recently completed home in the village of Shoham in central Israel.

Naveh said Shin Bet security service agents told him that because of the threat of an attack by Palestinian militants, he and his family would have to leave their home immediately.

‘‘After they already assassinated an Israeli Cabinet minister, anything is possible, and everything must be taken seriously,’’ he said.

Health Minister Nissim Dahan was told to leave his house on weekends, because of intelligence about a possible attack. He lives in Hashmonaim, an Israeli settlement just inside the West Bank.

Military analyst Alex Fishman said Palestinian militants have adopted a ‘‘mission of assassinating a top-ranked Israeli personality as a first priority, as a response to Israel’s policy of eliminating suspected militants.’’

Meanwhile, roadblocks remained in place near cities in Israel’s north, close to the West Bank, though police foiled an apparent suicide bombing yesterday.

Police would not comment about the alert, but Israel Radio said security services had intelligence reports about a suicide bomber about to leave the Palestinian town of Jenin, at the northern end of the West Bank.