Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak said Tuesday he holds Yasser Arafat's Palestinian Authority responsible for the latest deadly attacks against Israelis, and vowed that the culprits would be punished, reported AFP.
"These deplorable acts are a direct consequence of the Palestinian Authority’s policy of encouraging violence and calling for a jihad against Israel," Barak said in a statement released by his office.
He was referring to the killings of five Israelis – two Israeli soldiers, and three Jewish settlers, in shooting attacks in the West Bank and Gaza Strip on Monday, reflecting a sharp escalation in the type of violence raging through the Palestinian territories.
"The assailants and those who dispatched them will be punished," the statement added.
Barak has cancelled a London stopover and will fly home directly from a US trip for emergency talks with his security officials after the latest bloodshed in the occupied territories, the radio said – (Several Sources)
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