Boy dies in West Bank raid

The Israeli army carried out a sweeping raid against militants in the West Bank today, killing four people and destroying a building that was home to 60.

Meanwhile, an Israeli developer began construction of a new neighbourhood in the section of Jerusalem claimed by the Palestinians.

The Israeli actions came at a delicate moment, as Palestinian officials and militants prepared to meet in Cairo to weigh a ceasefire with Israel, a model Mideast peace treaty was unveiled in Geneva and a US envoy arrived in hopes of restarting peace talks.

The army said its raid targeted the Hamas infrastructure in the Ramallah area, which it blamed for killing more than 60 Israelis in the three years of fighting.

The military said it had killed three militants and made dozens of arrests. Palestinians said a nine-year-old boy was also among the dead.

More than 60 tanks, jeeps and armoured personnel carriers entered Ramallah, carrying out house-to-house searches, arresting people and engaging militants in gun battles.

The army said troops killed three armed Hamas militants and arrested 29 Hamas members. Soldiers also discovered an explosives belt, two large stashes of explosives and destroyed an explosives laboratory.

But many civilians were caught in the crackdown. A nine-year-old boy was killed when soldiers dispersed a crowd of rock-throwing protesters, Palestinians said. The army said it was investigating.

The military also demolished a four-storey building where it said one of the gunmen had taken cover, leaving 60 people homeless. Israeli troops evacuated the building’s residents, later giving them 15 minutes to collect their belongings before blowing up the structure.

“We believed there were still terrorists in the building so we had no choice but to blow it up”, said Colonel Roni Numa, who commanded the Israeli operation.

Raanan Gissin, spokesman for Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, said Israel was acting on warnings that Palestinian militants were planning a terrorist attack, and denied the timing was intended to scuttle the truce talks or overshadow today’s gala peace ceremony in Geneva.

The housing project drew criticism from US, UN and Palestinian officials.

Despite their concerns, bulldozers pushed ahead with road construction for the neighbourhood of Nof Zahav – Golden View.

The development will abut Jabel Mukaber, a village built on a hillside not far from to the United Nations’ local headquarters, part of the area Israel annexed after capturing the Arab section of Jerusalem in the 1967 war.

A US government official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Washington viewed new construction in parts of Jerusalem occupied in 1967 as settlement activity which was therefore “inconsistent with the peace road map.”

Terje Roed-Larsen, the UN representative in the region, called the new housing project “damaging” to peace efforts.

Saeb Erekat, a senior Palestinian negotiator, said, “We call on the Israeli government to stop these facts on the ground and opt for serious negotiations that will end this vicious cycle and lead to a two-state solution.”

Meanwhile, Egyptian-sponsored ceasefire talks between the Palestinian government and militant groups were delayed at least until Wednesday.

Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qureia is seeking a truce commitment from the militants, which he can deliver to Israel in hopes of renewing peace talks.

The reason for the delay was not clear, but there was anger among those already in Cairo, especially over the Ramallah raid.

“The latest Israelis escalation seriously threatens the dialogue in Cairo and puts serious obstacles in front of taking a decision to implement calm,” said Ahmad Ghneim, a delegate from Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat’s Fatah movement.