Israel tightens noose around West Bank

The Israeli army has been ordered to expand its operations

The murderous stand-off in Israel continues as neighbouring countries and an international summit of Muslim states exert more pressure on the Israeli government to lift the siege on the offices of the Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat.

Meanwhile the viciousness of the conflict was underlined when two masked Palestinian gunmen entered an intelligence building in the West Bank town of Tulkarm on Monday and killed eight men suspected of collaborating with Israel.

Tanks were also reported to be gathering around the Biblical town of Bethlehem.

Meanwhile in Kuala Lumpur, the 57 member nations of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference are meeting for a three-day summit at which the main business is the situation in Israel.

Suicide bombers

However the delegates hit an early snag when they disagreed over the definition of terrorism. The host, Malaysian prime minister Dr Mahatir Mohammed, said in his opening speech that the events of September the 11th were disastrous for Islam and that Arab states must clearly define terrorism as any attacks against civilians including suicide bombing.

The meeting did pass a resolution condemning Israel for "dragging the region towards an all-out war" and calling for UN sanctions. However, a number of countries disagree with that, saying that you have to understand the motioves of suicide bombers.

The Palestinian delegate - their Foreign Minister Farouk Kaddoumi - told us there was little likelihood of stopping popular resistance given the breakdown in any real political process.

But Zalman Shoval, a spokesman for the Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon, told us the debate in Kuala Lumpur would help perpetuate the perception that the whole of the Muslim world was extremist.

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