Sharon suspends political contact with Palestinians

Sharon

JERUSALEM (CNN) -- Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon told Likud Party members Thursday the Israeli government would have no political contact with the Palestinian Authority until those responsible for smuggling 50 tons of arms aboard a ship in the Red Sea are arrested, Israeli diplomatic sources said.

But security contacts will continue, Sharon said at the meeting in Ramat Gan near Tel Aviv.

The arms shipment has put a further strain on Israeli-Palestinian relations.

On Wednesday, an attack by two Palestinian gunmen left four Israeli soldiers dead as well as the two attackers.

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Israeli tanks tore up runways to the main terminal at the Palestinian-controlled Gaza International Airport Friday morning, Israeli and Palestinian sources said.

"Israeli forces have destroyed the tarmac at Dahaniya airport," an Israel Defense Forces statement said.

Israeli forces were also busy in the West Bank overnight, arresting Hamas activist Amer Shitawi from the village of Beit Iba, near Nablus. The village is in area A under full Palestinian control. According to the IDF, Israeli forces have left the area and the suspect has been transferred to security forces for interrogation.

Palestinian security sources also confirm the arrest of Shitawi.

IDF forces were operating at a number of locations in Southern Gaza and Israeli special forces had arrested eight Palestinians in Rafah suspected of terrorist activity, Israeli officials said.

The moves appear to have been a continuation of activities that began early Thursday, when Palestinian sources said Israeli tanks and bulldozers entered the town of Rafah in southern Gaza and destroyed two homes.

In other developments, IDF forces had also gone into the Sufa corridor, which is under full Israeli control, and separated the link between the city of Rafah and Khan Younis.

On Wednesday, Palestinian military sources said a number of Israeli tanks and jeeps had gone into a military base in Rafah, several hours after the two Palestinian gunmen cut through a security fence and killed an Israeli officer and three Israeli soldiers before being killed themselves.

The radical Islamic group Hamas claimed responsibility for the attack at a fortified Israeli army post at Kerem Shalom near where the borders of Israel, Gaza and Egypt converge.

The Palestinian Authority -- which has called for a halt on attacks against Israel -- has condemned the attack on the Israeli soldiers, saying it feared Israel would use it as an excuse to escalate the violence.

Sharon has blamed Palestinian Authority President Yasser Arafat, demanding that he make arrests in both the arms shipment case and put an end to further attacks.

Arafat has denied involvement in the arms shipment and has ordered an investigation.

The attacks this week jeopardized new attempts by U.S. Middle East envoy Anthony Zinni to get the Israelis and Palestinians to honor a cease-fire.

In a televised address December 16, Arafat demanded a halt to attacks against Israel. Hamas said it would suspend suicide attacks inside Israel, but the attack Wednesday was inside Israeli territory, perhaps a signal that Hamas had resumed its former tactics.