Israel Strikes Back in Cycle of Violence

After six days of Palestinian attacks that left nine Israelis dead, Israel struck several sites in the West Bank and Gaza Strip Tuesday morning, killing eight Palestinians and wounding 25.

Later in the day, Palestinian gunmen attacked an army checkpoint in the West Bank, killing at least six Israelis. The Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, linked to Palestinian President Yasser Arafat’s Fatah faction, said the attack was a response to the surge in Palestinian deaths.

The spiraling cycle of retribution has left 22 people dead in two days.

Earlier Tuesday, Israeli warplanes bombed security compounds in the West Bank town of Ramallah and targeted several refugee camps where Palestinian militants are said to be hiding.

Israeli helicopters fired missiles at an office of the Islamic militant group Hamas in the Jebalya refugee camp, killing two Palestinians and critically wounding four, including a 10-year-old girl, according to Palestinian doctors.

In one Gaza Strip town, three Palestinian civilians, including a mother and her daughter, were killed by shells which hit their homes, according to Palestinian witnesses. The Israeli army declined comment.

Israeli soldiers also blocked Palestinian traffic in the main road that runs north-south through Gaza, effectively dividing the strip into three parts.

In trying to quell the anti-Israeli violence, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s government has debated whether to crack down on the Palestinian territories or pursue other options.

On Monday, a Sharon advisor said Israel will stop short of a large-scale military operation, but will intensify military strikes.

Meanwhile, several groups outside the government are calling for less military escalation. In a position paper published this week, 1,200 retired Israeli security officials outlined a proposal that includes the immediate withdrawal of troops from the Gaza Strip and the dismantling of 40 to 50 Jewish settlements in the West Bank.

The Council for Peace and Security said troops currently defending isolated settlements should be redeployed along a line separating Israel and the West Bank.

The group also called for the immediate resumption of negotiations with the Palestinians.

The Sharon government has cut off ties with Palestinian Authority President Arafat, saying he has feigned support for the peace process, while encouraging militants to attack Israelis.

On Tuesday Arafat maintained that he is “still committed to the peace process.”

Hamas leader calls for jihad

While the Sharon administration debated its relations with the Palestinians, the spiritual leader of Hamas has called on Muslims around the world to take part in a holy war to liberate Arab countries from the U.S.

“Sons of Islam everywhere, the jihad is a duty — to establish the rule of Allah on earth and to liberate your countries and yourselves from America’s domination and its Zionist allies, it is your battle — either victory or martyrdom,” Sheik Ahmed Yassin wrote in a letter published this week.

Yassin is paraplegic and rarely leaves his home in Gaza City. Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat had placed him under house arrest in December, but the Palestinian Authority has allowed Yassin and other Hamas leaders to make public statements and appear at rallies.

Hamas has taken responsibility for attacks that have killed dozens of Israelis in the past 16 months.

On Saturday, a senior Hamas member on Israel’s wanted list died when his car blew up in the West Bank. Hamas accused the Israeli government of assassinating the leader and pledged revenge.