Gaza City, Gaza Strip — Israeli troops seized a chunk of the northern Gaza Strip on Friday and set up key positions there in what an army commander said would be an open-ended stay to try to stop rocket attacks on nearby Israeli towns.
About 100 tanks and other combat vehicles took control of six or seven square kilometres, lined by two Palestinian towns and a refugee camp, carving out what Israeli media called a new "security zone." It was the first sizable reoccupation of a Gaza residential area in 29 months of fighting. In the past, troops have staged quick incursions.
"This action is a little different than the actions we have carried out until now," said Colonel Yoel Strick. "If we decide it is necessary, we will hold on to this area for the foreseeable future."
When asked by an Israel Radio reporter if that meant the army was reoccupying part of Gaza, Col. Strick said, "Yes, indeed."
In other developments, Mahmoud Abbas — tapped by Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat as the new Palestinian prime minister — said Friday that it was too early to respond to the offer.
“I will be able to respond negatively or positively to President Arafat's proposal when it becomes clear what kind of authorities the prime minister will have,” Mr. Abbas, known also as Abu Mazen, said.International Mideast mediators have exerted pressure on Mr. Arafat to create the position to make him share power and reform the Palestinian government. The choice of Mr. Abbas could signal that Mr. Arafat has given up on the idea of appointing a weak, non-political premier.Mr. Abbas has his own strong political following and is known as a moderate. He has publicly called the violent Palestinian uprising a mistake and urges a return to peace negotiations with Israel.The European Union expressed satisfaction Friday at the choice of Mr. Abbas on Friday, saying it “creates the conditions for the opening of the road” to a peaceful solution. The Palestine Liberation Organization's Central Council will meet this weekend to approve the idea of creating the position, and the Palestinian legislature will convene next week to define the responsibilities of a prime minister.The Israeli military's Gaza operation is aimed at keeping Palestinian militants from firing small homemade Qassam rockets at Israeli villages and towns just across the fence, the army said.Troops took up positions in a triangle formed by the towns of Beit Hanoun and Beit Lahia and the refugee camp of Jabalya in northern Gaza, said the Palestinian police chief in Gaza, Brigadier-General Abdel Razak Majaida.
Of that area, less than half is actually occupied by Israeli troops, while the remainder is in the sights of Israeli tanks, he said.
In Beit Lahia, which is closest to the border fence with Israel, 40 tanks and military vehicles were parked on a sandy hill overlooking much of the area. Troops took over a former Palestinian police base and an elementary school, witnesses said. It was not immediately clear whether those living in the zone would face restrictions in movement.
Israeli snipers took up spots on several rooftops. Bulldozers cleared orchard trees and farm land that the military said provided cover for Palestinians firing rockets.
About 6,000 Palestinians live in that area.
The seizing of parts of northern Gaza marked a growing escalation in the strip that began Feb. 15, when Hamas blew up a tank in the area, killing four Israeli soldiers. Dozens of Palestinians have been killed in Israeli incursions since then.
In response, Palestinians have been firing primitive, homemade rockets. Most miss their target, and those that land cause little damage with their small warheads. No one has been seriously injured by a Qassam rocket, but Israel's government says it is determined to stop the rocket fire, even if large-scale military operations lead to heavy casualties.
