The Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas, on Monday ordered his security forces to prevent attacks against Israeli targets after the bombing of a Gaza border crossing prompted Ariel Sharon to break off contact with the new Palestinian leadership.
The decision, made at the first meeting of the Palestinian Cabinet since Abbas was sworn in at the weekend, came as Sharon again castigated the Palestinians for what he described as a lack of intent to fight terrorism.
Earlier in the day, Israel said it would give the Palestinian leader a limited amount of time to act against Hamas and its allies, and that it was considering hardening its response to the attacks by using artillery in the hope that the population of the Gaza strip would ”understand this language”.
But Hamas swiftly rejected the Palestinian Cabinet’s move by saying that no one can deny it the right to resist the Israeli occupation.
Palestinian Cabinet ministers said that Abbas gave clear instructions to prevent all forms of Palestinian violence in the occupied territories, including attacks against Israel.
The Cabinet also ordered an investigation into the attack on the militarised Karni border crossing which killed six Israelis last week.
Abbas has repeatedly called for an end to the attacks on Israeli targets, saying that they damage the Palestinian cause.
The Palestinian leader is expected to travel to Gaza City on Wednesday to press Hamas and other groups to agree to a ceasefire as a key step towards getting Israel to resume negotiations.
The Hamas spokesperson, Mushir al-Masri, said the group would keep up its attacks. ”We consider resistance as a red line, and no one is allowed to cross this line”.
But Palestinian officials say they believe Hamas and its allies can be drawn into a ceasefire provided it is not made to appear an act of weakness or to delegitimise resistance.
Sharon again accused the new Palestinian leadership on Monday of a lack of will to prevent attacks on Israeli targets, particularly mortars fired into the Israeli town of Sderot where residents staged a one-day strike on Monday in protest at what they say is the government’s lack of action to prevent the attacks which severely injured a teenage girl last week and killed two toddlers in September.
Israel’s deputy defence minister, Ze’ev Boim, said the government is considering the use of artillery in Gaza in response to Palestinian attacks.
He told Israeli radio that the military would ”make an advance announcement to the residents, and move artillery up to certain neighbourhoods, and then people will understand.”
”We will not conduct the war like the Americans did in Fallujah, for example. Not because we are not a superpower, but because it contradicts our world view, and, justifiably, a great debate will ensue if we do so. But if we warn the population of what may happen, maybe they will understand this language,” said Boim. – Guardian Unlimited Â