Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon on Sunday morning accused the Palestinian Authority under newly-elected President Mahmoud Abbas of not making any efforts to combat Palestinian "militant activity" and said the Israeli army had free rein to fight "terrorism" emanating from the Gaza Strip.
"Notwithstanding the leadership change in the Palestinian Authority, we see that those standing at its head have not even begun to take any sort of action to halt the terror," Sharon said before the weekly cabinet meeting. The Israeli premier said the current situation cannot continue.
"The Israeli army and the security forces have been directed to boost operational activities aimed at halting terrorism and they will continue doing so on an unrestricted basis so long as the Palestinians refrain from lifting a finger. The operational level has been instructed to carry out any and all actions to halt the terror," the prime minister said.
On Sunday morning, an Israeli soldier was lightly wounded by Palestinian gunfire in southern Gaza on the Egyptian border near Rafah. He was evacuated to hospital.
Earlier Sunday morning, Palestinians reportedly fired two more Qassam rockets near Sderot. Shortly afterward, an Israel Air Force aircraft destroyed a Qassam rocket launcher ready for firing in the northern Gaza Strip, Israel Radio reported.
Before dawn on Sunday, the Israeli Air Force had struck a weapons-manufacturing workshop in Gaza City and Qassam rocket launchers in the northern Gaza village of Beit Lahia, the radio reported.
Eight Palestinians were killed over the weekend in other incidents in the Gaza Strip.
© 2005 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
