The Palestinian Authority has condemned the overnight ambush and killing of four unarmed Palestinian Authority police officers by Israeli soldiers in the north of the West Bank.
The Palestinian information minister, Mr Yasser Abed Rabbo, claimed it was a premeditated act and directly blamed the Israeli prime minister, Mr Ariel Sharon, for what he termed a criminal action.
The attack happened after the Israeli army occupied Palestinian-controlled Anabta and nearby Ramim, occupying a building belonging to the personal guard of the Palestinian leader, Mr Yasser Arafat, and arresting Palestinians.
The officers were travelling in a jeep when the Israeli soldiers opened fired on them without warning. They were all hit in the head. An Israeli army spokesman confirmed that an operation had been carried out in the two places to "stop Palestinians involved in terrorist activities" and said the operation would continue until the mission was completed.
A fifth Palestinian, a taxi driver, was also shot dead by a heavy machinegun fire from an Israeli tank on the edge of the West Bank town of Jenin on Sunday.
Mr Abed Rabbo said the killings were "aimed at disrupting all regional and international peace efforts, particularly American efforts to find acceptable solutions to the current crisis."
"The American administration must adopt a balanced position," he said.
"How can the Palestinian Authority come under (Israeli) attack against its institutions, and assassinations of its members, and still carry out the task of restoring security and stability?"
Last Wednesday, Israel gave Arafat an ultimatum to round up Islamic militants or face unrelenting attacks on his institutions. It has launched several air strikes since then, in particular destroying the Palestinian police headquarters in Gaza City.
The Israeli attacks have been roundly condemned by the international comunity with the exception of the US which stated Israel had the right to ‘self-defence’.
"Israeli demands that the Palestinian Authority meet its obligations are only a political trap into which the United States, unfortunately, fell," Mr Abed Rabbo said.
"We urge the international community to intervene immediately to put an end to Israeli crimes and massacres against the Palestinian people ... by sending international observers to protect them against those crimes," he said.
AFP