Israel stands firm on air strikes

Mr Sharon has pledged to restore security for Israeli citizens

Israel has made it clear it is ready to continue attacking Palestinian targets, despite United States criticism of its use of F-16 warplanes.

And government ministers said the future use of warplanes had not been ruled out.

Israeli radio reported that the country's security cabinet resolved on Sunday "to continue to strike at Palestinian terrorists in a focused and pinpointed manner".

The bombing, the shelling was targeted on my house. The Israelis should be ashamed of this terror attack

Jibril Rajoub

Meanwhile, Israeli tanks shelled the Ramallah home of the Palestinian security chief in the West Bank, Jibril Rajoub.

In a BBC interview, Mr Rajoub said his house had been deliberately targeted. Israeli officials denied the allegation.

Mr Rajoub said five of his bodyguards were wounded, although he was unhurt.

'Point of no return'

In the strongest US statement on the subject to date, US Vice-President Dick Cheney said Israel should stop using F-16 warplanes against Palestinians.

Mr Rajoub said five of his bodyguards were injured

"Both sides should stop and think about where they are headed here," he told NBC television.

But violence continued on Sunday, with the Palestinians accusing Israel of trying to assassinate Mr Rajoub.

Israel said its tanks were responding to Palestinian fire.

But Mr Rajoub told the BBC that "the shelling was targeted on my house," and the room where he had been sleeping was "totally destroyed".

In Cairo, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak has warned that the situation in the Middle East could reach what he described as "the point of no return".

Air raids

Israel launched air raids on Palestinian security buildings on Friday in retaliation for a suicide bomb attack which killed six Israelis.

Israelis mourned the dead from Friday's suicide bombing

The raid - which killed 12 Palestinian police officers - was the first time Israel has deployed F-16s against Palestinian towns.

"We will do everything necessary and use everything we have to protect Israeli citizens," Mr Sharon was quoted as saying in an interview with Yediot Aharonot, Israel's most-read daily newspaper.

BBC Jerusalem correspondent Hilary Andersson says there have been rumblings of disapproval within Mr Sharon's cabinet about the decision to use F-16 planes to bomb Palestinian areas.

We will do everything necessary and use everything we have to protect Israeli citizens

Ariel Sharon

But a senior Israeli military official said the use of the planes did not mark a change in strategy.

General Giora Eiland, the head of the army's planning division, said F-16s were chosen because they were the best weapon against the targets chosen.

"It doesn't imply that this a new phase," he said, adding that the army did not expect to deploy the warplanes "very often".

The Israeli press has been critical of the decision to use the warplanes.

Arab reaction

The air raids prompted the Arab League to make its strongest statement against Israel since the start of the intifada.

Foreign ministers meeting in Cairo recommended breaking off political contacts with Israel.

Palestinians buried a farmer killed on Saturday

The secretary-general of the Arab League, Amr Moussa, said peace proposals put forward by Egypt and Jordan could not be discussed while Israel continued its attacks against the Palestinians.

However Egyptian President Mr Mubarak, while condemning Israel for using "excessive force", said the initiative to restart negotiations was "still on the table".

Egypt and Jordan - the only two Arab countries with peace treaties with Israel - have been key intermediaries between Israel and the Palestinians.

Sporadic violence continued in the region on Sunday, with an Israeli soldier being seriously wounded by Palestinian gunfire near a Jewish settlement near the West Bank town of Ramallah.

Palestinian hospital sources said five people were wounded in an ensuing gun battle.

In a separate incident, a Palestinian was shot in Ramallah by what appeared to be a stray bullet. His condition is not clear.