Palestinians round up 'collaborators'

Palestinians buried a Hamas activist killed on Thursday

Palestinian security forces have rounded up 60 suspected collaborators with Israel in response to Tuesday's Israeli attack on Hamas activists.

The Palestinian Authority rejects and condemns every attempt by any party to take the law into its hands

Palestinian Authority

Collaborators have been blamed for giving Israelis information which led to the attack in Fara in the northern West Bank which killed eight people, amongst them two leading figures of the militant group.

In all, 20 Palestinians have died in violence this week - including six other activists who died in a blast on Monday which Palestinians said was caused by Israel.

Meanwhile, US Vice-President Dick Cheney has kicked up a storm with comments apparently in support of Israel's policy of assassinating Palestinian militants.

What the vice-president was suggesting is Israel sees justification for their actions. The Palestinians see a justification for their actions

White House

After Tuesday's attack, the US vice-president said the Israelis had "some justification" in their policy, because they were trying to protect themselves from possible attacks.

The White House says his comments were taken out of context, and has denied any support for Israel's "targeted killings".

"What the vice president was reflecting on is how both parties see justification in the actions they take. It is the policy of the United States to oppose these killings," spokesman Ari Fleischer told reporters.

But Nabil Abu-Rudaynah, a senior adviser to the Palestinian leader, Yasser Arafat, said Mr Cheney's comments did not encourage peace but would destabilise the whole region.

Vigilantes

The Palestinian Authority has been quick to act against suspected collaborators. Following Tuesday's attack, three were sentenced to death after a 10-minute trial at a court in Nablus.

Their sentences must be ratified by Mr Arafat.

Palestinians have demanded revenge for the deaths of Hamas figures

But Palestinians have been taking things into their own hands - at least three suspected collaborators have been killed on the West Bank in the past few days.

A man police said was a known collaborator was found dead, shot in the face, near Bethlehem on Friday, and fears are growing of a surge in vigilante attacks.

"The Palestinian Authority rejects and condemns every attempt by any party to take the law into its hands," the authority said in a statement.

Violence

On the ground violence continued.

In Gaza a number of Palestinians were hurt, one seriously, in clashes with Israeli forces, while a six-year-old Jewish boy was injured when Palestinians fired a mortar at a Jewish settlement.

In Nablus, thousands attended the funeral of a Palestinian killed on Thursday by Israeli troops and there were clashes in Hebron and Ramallah following Friday prayers

And Israeli police say they stopped a Palestinian woman trying to carry a bomb into the Tel Aviv central bus station.

Men under the age of 40 were barred from attending prayers at the al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem on Friday amid fears of further tension at the site which is holy to both Muslims and Jews.

No disturbances were reported but the mood remained angry.

"It's against the law, you can't stop people praying. It's for God to decide and nobody else," said one man who prayed on the streets outside the mosque.