Israel Vows to Take Initiatives in Fighting Terrorism

A senior Israeli official said Monday that Israel should be the one who sets the pace and timing of responses to the ongoing wave of terror attack, and would not be dragged by the Palestinians into passive reactions.

"We must continue, with cool-heads, to consider widening he scope of interception operations carried out against terrorists," Deputy Defense Minister Dalia Rabin-Pelosoff said in an interview with Army Radio.

"We've got to think creatively on further preventative activities against terrorism," she said.

However, Israel decided Sunday night not to retaliate the Palestinian suicide bombing attack near the northern coastal city of Haifa Sunday afternoon, which killed the bomber and injured 21 people, mostly of them lightly.

The Islamic Jihad (or Holy War) has claimed responsibility for the attack.

Analysts believe that the Israeli government made the decision due to several reasons: the Palestinian security service apparatus must have been evacuated in the wake of the bombing attack; the number of injured was not so high.

The renewed efforts to reach a ceasefire with the Palestinians were also behind the decision not to retaliate. Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon Sunday authorized Foreign Minister Shimon Peres to negotiate with the Palestinian officials about a mutual ceasefire.

Sunday's bombing attack followed a fatal suicide bombing attack in a central Jerusalem restaurant last Thursday, which killed 15 people and injured more than 100.

The Israeli authorities have accused the Palestinians of not making efforts to arrest suspected "terrorists" and prevent terror attacks on Israeli targets, while the Palestinians see no clear " roadmap" toward peace, making it difficult for them to act against "terrorism."

Israel has "liquidated" scores of Palestinian activists by " targeted killing" in a move it says to intercept "terrorists." The move has incurred international criticism and strong Palestinian reactions.






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