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Sharon Gives Israeli Army Free Hand

Posted on: Sunday, 17 July 2005, 18:00 CDT

GAZA: An Israeli army sniper killed a Palestinian militant in the Gaza Strip yesterday after Prime Minister Ariel Sharon gave a free hand to security forces to stop cross-border rocket salvoes.

Troops massed in preparation for a possible major offensive into Gaza, but Israeli political sources said that looked unlikely ahead of a visit by US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to try to salvage a crumbling five-month-old ceasefire.

The worst surge in bloodshed since the truce was agreed has threatened to hamper Israel's withdrawal from settlements in occupied Gaza starting next month and raised doubts over peacemaking prospects.

Sharon said he had instructed the army "to act without limitation to stop the strikes on Israeli communities" after rocket and mortar salvoes continued from Gaza despite an appeal for calm by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

Abbas appealed on Saturday to militant groups to halt their attacks on Israel and recommit themselves to a Mideast truce left in tatters by a wave of violence over the past week.

In an address on Palestinian television, Abbas said the cease- fire agreement was in the best interest of the Palestinians.

"I call upon all the Palestinian factions and forces to renew and to declare their commitment to what we had agreed upon, to respect the (Palestinian) Authority ... and to obey the truce," he said. "We are not going to allow anyone to gamble with our national cause."

In the southern Gaza Strip, a commander of the Hamas group behind much rocket fire was killed with a single bullet fired from a nearby settlement. His father said he had been going to water the garden. The army confirmed it had killed him as part of a revived assassination policy.

"Hamas will not stand handcuffed against the new crime," said spokesman Mushir Al-Masri.

Before Sharon's cabinet met, Israel's deputy defence minister said a major offensive could be hours away. Troops, tanks and armoured vehicles have massed outside in a show of force for days.

But Israeli political sources said ministers would likely hold off any major operation after security chiefs noted efforts by Abbas to restore order. Egyptian officials were expected to arrive in Gaza to try to help shore up the truce.

The death of the Hamas commander in Gaza brought to eight the number of the group's fighters killed in the upsurge.

Source: China Daily; North American ed.

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