Israeli soldier and Palestinian killed in shoot-out

An Israeli soldier and a Palestinian fugitive were killed in a West Bank shoot-out today, part of a marked increase in tension in recent weeks despite a three-month-old truce.

Israeli and Palestinian leaders traded accusations over the shooting in the village of Saideh, with each saying the other side is persistently violating the ceasefire declared in February.

Also today, Palestinian bulldozers demolished the homes of three senior Palestinian officers who had illegally seized public land in the Gaza Strip for private use. The demolition is part of a new anti-corruption campaign announced over the weekend by the Palestinian interior minister.

The Israeli Cabinet, meanwhile, approved transforming the 7,000-student college in the Jewish settlement of Ariel into a university. “This is in keeping with the government’s aim of strengthening settlement blocs,” Prime Minister Ariel Sharon told ministers, according to a statement by his office.

Sharon has said he wants to keep the large settlements as part of any peace deal with the Palestinians. The Palestinians claim all of the West Bank and Gaza for a future state and want to see all settlements removed.

The decision to upgrade the status of Ariel’s college was opposed by ministers from the moderate Labour Party, Sharon’s main coalition partner. Housing Minister Yitzhak Herzog of Labour said the decision would undermine Israel’s reputation in the academic world.

The violent West Bank incident began when Israeli troops raided Seideh before dawn today and imposed a curfew. A shootout erupted, leaving a militant and a soldier dead.

The militant was identified as Shafiq Abdul Ghani, 34, an activist in the militant Islamic Jihad group. Abdul Ghani had been arrested by the Palestinian security services as a suspect in a February suicide bombing in a Tel Aviv night club that killed five Israelis. Abdul Ghani fled from a Palestinian prison last month.

Israeli media identified the soldier as Dan Talasnikov, 21.

Seideh was one of several villages Palestinian authorities wanted Israel to withdraw from when it handed over nearby Tulkarem to the Palestinian security forces in March. Israel refused, saying the villages were full of militants, including those behind the February suicide bombing.

On Sunday, Israeli troops had briefly raided Tulkarem, arresting a suspected Islamic Jihad member the army said was preparing to carry out a suicide bombing.

Senior Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat said the latest Israeli operations jeopardised the truce, which has significantly reduced the number of casualties on both sides.

“The ceasefire can’t be held by one side,” Erekat said. “The continuation of Israeli incursions, assassinations and arrests is seriously threatening the … understandings.”

Israeli deputy prime minister Ehud Olmert said the violence proved how fragile the truce was, adding Israel did not plan to end its raids against militants unless the Palestinians themselves took action against them.

“Israel can’t stop its efforts to protect its citizens and to block any effort by Palestinians to continue terrorist actions,” he said. “I hope that the Palestinian Authority will take a more active role in enforcing the ceasefire so there will be no need for further intervention by Israeli soldiers.”

Violence has slowly increased in recent weeks, though it is still far lower than it was during the height of the fighting over the past 4 1/2 years. Israelis have carried out several arrest raids, and Palestinian militants have fired salvos of mortar shells and rockets into Gaza Strip settlements.

Israel pledged to turn over five West Bank towns to Palestinian security control as part of the February 8 ceasefire agreement, but only Tulkarem and Jericho have been transferred.

Israeli Defence Minister Shaul Mofaz said last week he was putting further handovers on hold until the Palestinian Authority disarmed militants in the two towns they already control.

Israel has demanded Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas crack down on militant groups to prevent attacks on Israel. Abbas has said he preferred to use persuasion to maintain calm. However, Abbas took a firmer tone last week, warning militants that he would use force against anyone who violated the truce.

His comments appeared aimed at the militants firing mortar and rocket barrages at Gaza settlements in recent weeks in an effort to make it appear they are pushing Israel out of the volatile coastal strip. Israel plans to pull out of Gaza and four West Bank settlements this summer.

Israeli military planners said recently they are proposing that the abandoned West Bank homes be turned over to Palestinian security forces for use as barracks, although the area to be vacated will remain under overall Israeli military control, security officials said.