Israeli warplanes hit Arafat building in revenge attacks

Israeli warplanes have bombed Palestinian headquarters in Bethlehem as part of a day-long series of reprisals for the latest Palestinian attacks.

Israeli F-16 warplanes have dropped bombs on the Palestinian government complex between Jerusalem and Hebron.

Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat has an office in the main building but was in the West Bank town of Ramallah when the bombing took place.

The Israeli army says the air strike is in response to Palestinian attacks on Israelis which killed 22 people over the weekend.

A Palestinian official called the air strikes "a dangerous escalation."

He said Israelis "have to understand that every single step they might take against us, we will take two steps against them."

The planes targeted buildings used by Palestinian security forces. But they were expecting reprisals, and as Israel often targets security posts, the buildings were empty.

Two Palestinians passers-by were wounded and another two hit by rubble flying hundreds of metres across a nearby neighbourhood. The effects of the bombs shattered windows and shook buildings throughout the residential area.