Annan urges Israeli withdrawal

The UN has warned of a 'dangerous escalation'

United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan has denounced Israel's takeover of the Palestinian city of Tulkarm and urged both sides to reach a ceasefire.

Israel tightened its grip of the Palestinian territory Monday night, hours after dozens of tanks backed by helicopters poured into the West Bank city in the biggest operation of its kind since the Palestinian uprising began 16 months ago.

They [Israel] have crossed all red lines and our people cannot stand with their eyes closed to these Israeli attempts

Yasser Arafat

Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat said the Israeli raid "crossed all red lines."

Israeli army chief Shaul Mofaz said forces would stay in place until at least Tuesday, but he said Israel had no intention of staying in the city "forever".

Israel said the incursion was in response to an attack last Friday when a Palestinian gunman burst into a banqueting hall in the coastal town of Hadera with an assault rifle, killing six Israelis and injuring 30.

Israeli troops imposed a curfew on the city and arrested more than 20 suspected Palestinian militants in house-to-house searches.

One Palestinian was shot dead in clashes with Israeli troops in Tulkarm, and another was killed by Israeli forces in a nearby camp where Palestinian gunmen had sought refuge.

Two Palestinians were killed in a gun battle with Israeli forces in Ramallah, where troops have moved to within feet of Mr Arafat's headquarters.

Incursion condemned

UN spokeswoman Marie Okabe said the secretary general was "very concerned by the major Israeli incursion today [Monday] into the Palestinian city of Tulkarm, in contravention of signed bilateral agreements".

	Palestinian officials say 100 tanks and armoured personnel carriers, backed by helicopters, carried out incursion Raid began at 0300 local time on 21.01.02 Curfew declared in town by Israeli forces Most serious incursion in 16 months of the intifada Maps of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict

Earlier, the United Nations Middle East envoy Terje Roed-Larsen called the Israeli incursion a "dangerous escalation" which would lead to more deaths.

Mr Roed-Larsen, one of the architects of the stalled Oslo peace process, acknowledged what he called Israel's "legitimate concern about continuing attacks", but warned that violence would solve nothing.

Troops backed by tanks and helicopters took over eight buildings, including the mayor's villa and a police operations room, sandbagging rooftops and hoisting Israeli flags.

"Tanks moved in through the northern, western and southern entrances to the town and deployed in the centre of Tulkarm," said the town's Governor, Izzedin Sharif.

Mr Sharif urged residents to defy the curfew and resist Israeli troops.

Mr Sharif said troops had also surrounded two adjacent refugee camps - Tulkarm and Nur Shams - apparently preparing to enter.

Revenge killing

The incursion came three days after Israeli tanks moved into positions outside Mr Arafat's offices in Ramallah. The Palestinian leader has been effectively blockaded inside the town for weeks.

Six Israelis were killed on Friday

The Israeli Government blamed him for Friday's attack - the first on civilians inside Israel in a month - and vowed to teach the Palestinian Authority "a lesson".

On Friday, Israeli warplanes destroyed the Tulkarm governor's headquarters as part of reprisals for the Hadera shooting.

The militant al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigade - a Palestinian armed group associated with Mr Arafat's Fatah organisation - said it had carried out Friday's attack in revenge for the killing of its Tulkarm leader, Raed Karmi, a week ago.