Israel Suspends Contacts With Palestinians
Pakistan Times Foreign Desk Report

GUSH ETZION (West Bank}: Israel suspended contacts with the Palestinian Authority on Monday and slapped tough travel restrictions on the West Bank after Palestinian gunmen killed three young Israelis and wounded five in two drive-by shootings near Jewish settlements.

The attack near the Gush Etzion block of settlements on Sunday was the deadliest since July. It followed Israeli intelligence warnings that Palestinian militants, who claim they drove Israel out of Gaza by force, would now shift their focus to the West Bank. Israel pulled out of Gaza in September in a unilateral move.

The Al Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades, a militant group with ties to the ruling Fatah party, claimed responsibility. However, security officials said they believed the Islamic militant group Hamas might have been involved.

The attacks renew international pressure on Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas, who meets with President Bush later this week, to crack down on militants, something he's been reluctant to do. Involvement of gunmen with ties to Fatah in Sunday's attacks would underscore his failure to impose control.

Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat called the shootings "unfortunate" and accused the gunmen of trying to sabotage efforts to revive peace talks. He urged Israel to reconsider the travel restrictions and suspension of contacts, saying "angry messages, collective punishment and violence will just add to the complexities."

Erekat said Israeli negotiators failed to show up for a meeting Sunday evening on the reopening of the Rafah terminal on the Gaza-Egypt border. The opening of the crossing is crucial for the economic recovery of Gaza.

Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Mark Regev initially said all contacts with the Palestinian Authority had been halted, but later said this applied only to committees on specific issues, such as prisoner releases, security and customs at border crossings.

"In Israel, we have no desire to return to a reality of daily attacks against Israeli civilians," Regev said. "We want to send a very strong and sharp message to the Palestinians, and the temporary suspension of talks is that message."

Tough New Measures

Israel also responded with tough new measures limiting movement in the West Bank, security officials said, adding that the restrictions would be in place for a long time. The West Bank towns of Hebron and Bethlehem, closest to the Gush Etzion attack, were sealed, and private Palestinian-owned cars were barred from the West Bank's main north-south road.

Security officials said Israel is planning to impose permanent traffic separation in the West Bank, with Israeli motorists using main highways and Palestinians largely forced to drive on back roads. Arrest raids will be stepped up, security officials said. In the past month, Israel has rounded up some 700 activists in Hamas and Islamic Jihad, disrupting Hamas' preparations for Jan. 25 parliament elections. Overnight, soldiers arrested 19 wanted Palestinians in the West Bank, the army said.

The decisions to restrict movement in the West Bank were made at high-level consultations led by Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz. They reversed a relaxing of restrictions gradually implemented since a February cease-fire. The limitations, in place for most of the past five years of fighting, crippled the Palestinian economy and caused widespread hardships. Israel has demanded the Palestinians dismantle militant groups if it wants to restart peace talks. "The Palestinian Authority has to move from the talking  stage to the action stage," Mofaz said. "We will not be able to continue in this process if the Palestinian Authority does not start taking concrete actions against the terror groups."

In the first attack, militants racing by the Gush Etzion junction in a car opened fire at Israelis waiting at a bus stop and at others in nearby cars. Israeli rescue services said one Israeli died at the scene and two others died in the hospital. Two were young women, cousins ages 23 and 21, from a nearby settlement, and the other was a 15-year-old boy. Four Israelis were wounded.

On Monday, hundreds of settlers built a makeshift memorial at the spot by piling up stones and affixing Israeli flags. Shmuel Jeselshon, 37, from the nearby Rosh Tzurim settlement, said the Gaza withdrawal has encouraged Palestinian militants. "Under pressure, we left Lebanon. Under pressure, we left Gaza. And they (the activists) think that under pressure we will leave here. That's a mistake."

The second attack took place near the settlement of Eli in the northern area of the West Bank. Rescue services said one Israeli was seriously wounded. Also Sunday, Israeli troops killed an Islamic Jihad militant in the northern West Bank.●