Israel kills six Palestinians in West Bank raids

Israel has killed six Palestinian policemen in a series of raids on four West Bank towns and villages today.

The raids followed two days of intensive air attacks on the infrastructure of the Palestinian Authority in revenge for the murder of 10 Jewish settlers by Palestinian militants on Wednesday.

Israel claimed its tanks and soldiers invaded Hebron, Dura, Salfit and Assira Ashmalia to search for alleged Palestinian militants. The Israelis arrested dozens of people during the raids. The six policemen were killed in a gunbattle in Salfit.

In Gaza, Palestinian witnesses said the Israeli army destroyed 10 houses and a factory in a refugee camp near a number of Jewish settlements today.

Three people were hurt during the operation, one of them seriously. Israel said the attack was designed to stop Palestinians from firing at the settlements, but the Palestinian Authority said Israel’s real objective is to destroy the Middle East peace process.

“This is a comprehensive war against the Palestinian people, its elected leadership and the peace process,” according to Nabil Abu Rdeneh, an aide to Yasser Arafat.