Israel maintains West Bank grip

Israel was today maintaining its grip over West Bank towns, confining at least 700,000 Palestinians to their homes under curfew orders.

Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat called the incursions a "premeditated assault against the Palestinian people and its leadership".

Faced with a demand by US President George W Bush for new Palestinian leaders "not compromised by terror", Mr Arafat said yesterday that Mr Bush was not referring to him. The President did not mention Mr Arafat by name.

Asked if Mr Bush was calling for his replacement, the veteran Palestinian leader said: "Definitely not."

But US Secretary of State Colin Powell said Mr Bush’s address was Mr Arafat. "There is no way for him to misunderstand the message that the President delivered yesterday," Mr Powell told CNN.

In a major Middle East policy speech on Monday, Mr Bush said the US would support the creation of a Palestinian state, but only after the Palestinians renounce terrorism, end corruption, institute democratic reforms and replace their leaders.

Palestinian cabinet minister Saeb Erekat said that today, the Palestinian Authority would announce reform plans and dates for municipal, legislative and presidential elections.

With Israeli forces holding seven of the eight main Palestinian population centres, including Ramallah, where Mr Arafat’s own headquarters compound was surrounded by Israeli tanks, Mr

Arafat charged that the Israelis were trying to overthrow his regime and retake the West Bank while "justifying their actions by falsely describing them as attacks against terror".

Israeli forces moved into the southern West Bank city of Hebron early yesterday, surrounding the hilltop Palestinian government compound, killing four Palestinian policeman in exchanges of fire, imposing a curfew and making dozens of arrests.

In a week of incursions, Israeli forces earlier took control of Jenin, Nablus, Qalqiliya, Tulkarem, Bethlehem and Ramallah.

Israeli defence minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer said yesterday that his soldiers would remain in Hebron "one day or two days, as long as it takes to complete the mission".

He also warned that Israel might hit the violent Islamic Hamas. "If Hamas steps up its attacks and reaches a level that is intolerable, then there will be no choice to go and fight Hamas," he said.

On Monday, Israel killed a Hamas leader in Gaza with a helicopter missile strike. Hamas has claimed responsibility for dozens of attacks against Israelis, including suicide bombings.

After back to back suicide bombing attacks killed 26 Israelis in Jerusalem last week, the Israeli government said it would send troops into Palestinian areas in retaliation, implying long-term occupation.

In Nablus, the West Bank’s largest city with 150,000 residents, Israel has taken over several apartment buildings to provide vantage points over the closed city, said paratroops officer Captain Kobi Veller, 25, guiding reporters.

The Israeli military has banned reporters from all the cities and towns under its control, drawing a protest from the Foreign Press Association.

Today, the military set up a pool of a few reporters, allowing them to see selected parts of Nablus, five days after the military moved into the city.