Israel will hold West Bank as attacks continue
Israel says it will retake parts of the West Bank and hold them as long as terror attacks continue.
The government issued a statement outlining its response to yesterday's Palestinian suicide bombing on a bus that killed 19 passengers.
The statement came after late-night consultations between Ariel Sharon and his top cabinet ministers.
It says Israel's actions will include "a change in the way Israel responds to murderous acts of terror".
The statement adds that Israel will respond by "capturing Palestinian Authority territory. These areas will be held by Israel as long as terror continues".
According to Palestinian security officials, Israeli tanks have moved into the West Bank town of Jenin, cutting the town off from an adjacent refugee camp.
Then tanks moved into the camp as attack helicopters fired from above. The Israeli military had no immediate comment.
Responsibility for the Jerusalem bombing was claimed by the Islamic Hamas which identified the attacker as Mohammed al-Ghoul, 22, from a refugee camp near Nablus.
The Israeli government statement adds that "Israel will shortly take Palestinian territory as outlined above", noting that "additional acts of terror will lead to taking of additional areas".
On March 29, following an earlier series of Palestinian suicide bombings, Israel launched its largest military mission in two decades, calling up army reserve units and sending thousands of soldiers into the West Bank, taking control of Palestinian towns and refugee camps.
