ISRAEL - Blames Arafat for killings

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BBC Israel blames Arafat for killings

Soldiers were among the injured Two Israeli teenagers have been killed and several other people injured in a raid on a Jewish settlement in the northern Gaza Strip.

Militant Palestinian group Hamas admitted it was behind the attack.

But Israelis later blamed Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat - who they say should be rounding up militants.

The attack on the settlement of Alei Sinai was carried out by three gunmen, who entered the settlement and seized a house.

The attack came on the Jewish holy day of Succot and just hours after the expiry of an Israeli deadline for the Palestinians to implement the ceasefire deal agreed last week.

Israeli news reports say children and three soldiers are among the injured.

The gunmen are reported to have subsequently been killed by Israeli special forces airlifted into the area.

A specially-called meeting of Israel's security cabinet ended with a statement holding Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat responsible for the attacks and said the military would take whatever steps were necessary to defend Israelis.

Israeli Government sources said earlier that the raid did not necessarily end the ceasefire between Israel and the Palestinians, agreed two weeks ago under heavy pressure from Washington.

Mr Arafat strongly condemned the attack, and said that everything possible was being done to find the culprits.

The United States is putting pressure on both sides to keep a lid on the violence while Washington tries to enlist Middle Eastern countries in its coalition against terror.

The two settlers who died were the first Israelis to be killed since Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres and Mr Arafat agreed last Wednesday to shore up the shaky ceasefire.

Several Israeli soldiers were reported to have been injured in a separate attack on a nearby settlement.

-- Anonymous, October 02, 2001


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