BBC

29 March, 2001, 04:39 GMT 05:39 UK

Israel threatens more attacks

The barrage reduced buildings to smouldering ruins Israel has signalled that it intends to carry out more attacks on Palestinian targets in retaliation for suicide bombings which killed two Israeli teenagers.

Helicopter gunships bombarded Palestinian targets in Gaza and the West Bank town of Ramallah on Wednesday, killing two Palestinians and wounding about 60 others.

One of those killed was a member of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat's elite presidential bodyguard, known as Force 17, the other a woman civilian, hospital doctors said.

The United States has called on both sides to exercise restraint, saying that force cannot resolve the situation in the Middle East.

A White House statement said the tragic cycle of incitement and provocation had continued for far too long.

It urged the Palestinian leadership to speak out publicly against terrorism, and the Israelis to ease blockades and remove checkpoints.

But a senior Israeli source told Reuters that Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's security cabinet had decided there would be more strikes in the coming days.

"There will not be a policy of reaction to attacks, rather a consistent and stable policy over time of a war on terror initiated by Israel," the source said.

Strategic targets

Israel claimed self-defence for the bombardment, but the Palestinians condemned it as unjustified aggression.

Hundreds of Palestinians took to the streets of Ramallah chanting abuse against Israel and Mr Sharon.

Israel had listed an arsenal, training camp and various installations used by Mr Arafat's presidential guard in Gaza among its targets.

The Palestinian Authority evacuated its main headquarters in Ramallah after receiving a warning.

Other more personal targets were also hit, such as the spot where Mr Arafat's helicopter usually lands.

Wave of violence

These are the first major air raids against Palestinian targets since October, when Israel retaliated for the lynching of two Israeli soldiers in Ramallah.

They come in response to a wave of violence.

Three Israelis have been killed and more than 30 injured in three separate bomb attacks over the past two days.

Israel blames the Palestinian Authority for the suicide bombings, even though the militant groups Hamas and Islamic Jihad say they carried out the attacks.

Israel says that Mr Arafat's men have been working directly with Hamas.

It also blames Yasser Arafat personally for releasing some extremists from Palestinian jails over the past few months.

Two more Palestinians also died on Wednesday: A child who picked up an Israeli shell in Gaza, and a woman asphyxiated by Israeli teargas at Jenin, in the West Bank.

Since the Palestinian uprising or intifada started six months ago, almost 450 people have been killed, more than 360 of them Palestinian.

The bombardment came after the end of a two-day Arab summit in Jordan, in which leaders were united in their support for the Palestinian Authority.

-- Anonymous, March 29, 2001