A senior Israeli security official Sunday night said that Israel has no any other choice but to continue its military attacks, in a response to a conditioned truce offered by Palestinian radical groups, Israel Radio reported.
In a joint statement issued in the day, the Palestinian groups claimed that if Israel halts the military operation against Palestinian targets in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, they would stop targeted attacks for one week.
The military wings of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) and the Islamic Jihad (Holy War) are among the groups who announced in the statement a halt of attacks in Israel as of midnight December 10 until the end of Ramadan.
"As long as the Palestinian National Authority fails to fight against terrorism and make arrests according to Israeli demand, Israel would act in self-defense without any hesitate," the unidentified senior official said.
Meanwhile, the Israeli inner cabinet decided Sunday night to continue the military attacks against Palestinian targets in the West Bank and Gaza Strip in retaliation for the wave of Palestinian terror attacks.
A Palestinian detonated earlier in the day an explosive device near the Check post Junction in Israel's northern city of Haifa. At least eight people suffered light-to-moderate injuries and some 20 others were shocked in the attack.
The suicide bomber reportedly was a 20-year-old Jihad member from the West Bank city of Jenin.
(Xinhua News Agency December 10, 2001)
