Israel retaliates for West Bank death

JERUSALEM, JULY 27. Israeli tanks bombarded Palestinian security posts in the West Bank today in retaliation for the shooting hours earlier of an Israeli teenager by Palestinian guerillas.

The resumption of tit-for-tat Arab-Israeli violence further blackened prospects for a move towards eventual peace talks.

No injuries were reported after the reprisal strike, during which Israeli army tanks shelled three force 17 positions on the line between Israeli and Palestinian-controlled areas around the Palestinian city of Ramallah. ``In reaction to yesterday's terror attack in which a 17-year-old youth was killed, the army removed three force 17 outposts at the entrance to Area A, two north of Ramallah and another in Beitunia, west of Ramallah,'' an army spokeswoman said. Force 17 is one of several Palestinian security formations controlled by the President, Mr. Yasser Arafat.

Witnesses in Ramallah, a Palestinian political and commercial hub, said the boom of tanks shells echoed through the city until the early hours of the morning. Helicopters hovered overhead throughout the assault.

The Israeli attack was a rapid response to the killing of teenager Ronen Landau yesterday evening. Israeli police said Palestinian gunmen shot Landau in the head as he drove home with his father and brother from Jerusalem to the adjacent settlement of Givat Zeev.

- Reuters

Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Section  : International
Previous : U.S. wants thorny issues out of racism meet
Next     : U.S. warns Iraq against attacks in no-fly zone