Israel signalled this week that in deference to Washington’s campaign against Iraq it will hold back from its usual tough response after Monday’s suicide bombing that killed 14 people.
But it swiftly made life harder for Palestinians with a ban on drilling for water. It also barred olive picking at the height of the harvest.
The ban on the use of boreholes is particularly tough as it means many Palestinians are unable to irrigate crops. Some villages will be deprived of drinking water.
After the last suicide bombing a month ago, Israeli tanks again laid siege to Yasser Arafat’s headquarters in Ramallah, reducing much of it to rubble until the Palestinian leader was trapped in one isolated building.
The White House pressed Prime Minister Ariel Sharon to lift the siege because it was undermining the United States’s campaign to win Arab backing for an attack on Iraq.
After Monday’s bus bombing Interior Minister Eli Yishai said Israel is taking US interests into account in deciding its response. ”There are those who say that we need to react now and immediately, with all power and all force,” he told Israeli army radio. ”On the other hand, we could cause difficulties for the Americans. If the Americans attack Iraq, it’s in our interest as well.” — (c) Guardian Newspapers 2002