Israeli warning adds to Middle East tensions

Israel will target any Palestinians who fire mortars at Israeli communities, Israeli security chiefs decided today, signalling a further erosion of a shaky Mideast truce.

The warning came in response to two days of mortar fire at Jewish settlements in Gaza and Israeli border towns. The shelling was triggered by the killing of two Hamas militants by Israeli troops.

On Wednesday, Israel resumed using helicopter gunships to attack militants, killing a Hamas member in a missile strike against a group of militants firing mortars, the first such strike since an informal truce was declared February 8.

Palestinians today fired seven more mortars and a rocket at Jewish settlements in Gaza and at nearby Israeli communities.

Israeli Defence Minister Shaul Mofaz said during a meeting with security chiefs that Palestinian police were not fulfilling their obligations to stop the militants.

Mofaz said he would not allow Israelis to be harmed and would exact a price for attacks by militants, according to participants in the meeting.

Mofaz’ decision to target all those firing mortars was to be presented to Prime Minister Ariel Sharon later today.

Also, Israeli officials warned the flare-up in violence could delay Israel’s planned withdrawal from 21 Jewish settlements in Gaza and four in the West Bank if Israel is forced to launch a new military campaign against Palestinian militants.

“If there is a situation where the Palestinians will use terror against Israel during the evacuation period, then I don’t see us carrying out the evacuation,” Deputy Defence Minister Zeev Boim told Israel Radio.

“First we will have to deal with the terror, and only then carry out the (withdrawal),” he said.

While Sharon has vowed the withdrawal would not take place under fire, Mofaz has promised there would be no further delays in carrying out the plan. The pull-back has already been delayed from July to mid-August, following a Jewish period of mourning.

Supporters of the plan warn that further delays could scuttle the withdrawal. However, officials from both sides also met in an attempt to ward off an escalation.

Chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat and Dov Weisglass, a Sharon aide, met today to try to restore calm, a senior Palestinian official said.

The two talked about ways to rescue the February truce, the official said, adding there were tentative talks about scheduling a summit between Sharon and Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas.

So far the truce has survived a suicide bombing in Tel Aviv in February and a barrage of more than 90 rockets and mortars at Gaza settlements on a single day in April after Israeli troops killed three teenagers.