Israel to Continue Military Operations Against Palestinian Extremists: Sharon

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Tuesday, December 11, 2001

Israel to Continue Military Operations Against Palestinian Extremists: Sharon

Israelis Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said Tuesday that the endless attacks conducted by Palestinian radical groups against Israeli civilians have forced Israel to stick to its military operation, Israel Radio said.

In a meeting with the visiting European Union (EU) foreign policy chief Javier Solana in Jerusalem early Tuesday morning, Sharon reportedly said that Israel was planning to ease restrictions on the Palestinians who are not involved in terrorist activities, but the unending terrorist attacks make it difficult to implement.

"Israel will not stand for attacks on the security of Israeli residents," Sharon was quoted as stressing.

The prime minister also expressed his satisfaction with EU's calling for Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat to dismantle the Palestinian radical groups' terrorist infrastructure.

In an unprecedented statement issued on Monday, the EU demanded Palestinian National Authority (PNA) Chairman Yasser Arafat dismantle "terrorist networks" of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) and the Islamic Jihad (Holy War) and declare an end to the violent uprising against Israel.

The statement was issued after Solana met separately with Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres and Palestinian International Cooperation Minister Nabil Shaath in Brussels.

The EU senior official is also scheduled to hold talks on Tuesday with Arafat and U.S. Mideast envoy Anthony Zinni.

The international community has been strengthening diplomatic mediation between Israel and the Palestinians amid the deterioration of the tense Mideast situation following a wave of Palestinian suicide bombing attacks in early December and the consequent Israeli retaliatory military operations.

As Israel's biggest trade partner and the largest aid donor to the Palestinians, the EU has been urging constraint on both sides but has achieved little success.

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