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Israeli Troops Strike Palestinian Areas in Tulkarm
Ground troops of the Israel Defense Force (IDF) and armors thrust into Palestinian-controlled areas in the West Bank city of Tulkarm overnight, destroying a Palestinian police post and injuring at least 11 Palestinians, Palestinian officials said on Monday.
The IDF troops pushed some 20 meters into the Palestinian territory under the Palestinian control, firing tank shells into a populated area in the city, they said.
Local IDF commanders ordered the operation under new military directives, which permit brigade and battalion commanders to respond immediately to Palestinian fire, including making brief incursion into the Palestinian-controlled areas.
The IDF said on Monday that the operation was "in retaliation for a shooting attack on a nearby Israeli border police post during a prolonged gun battle earlier in the night.
There were no Israeli casualties in the operation, it added.
Commenting the IDF operation in Tulkarm, east to the Israeli sea-side city of Netanya, senior aides to Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said on Monday that Israel was not interested in escalation of conflicts, or capturing areas under Palestinian control.
The aides told Israel Radio that the U.S. administration had been informed that the IDF thrusts into Palestinian territories were "limited operations aimed at preventing injury to Israeli civilians and soldiers."
Israeli Defense Minister Benjamin Ben-Eliezer on Sunday gave army commanders blanket permission to enter Palestinian-controlled areas whenever they felt such a move is necessary.
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