A Palestinian woman was killed as Israeli forces held on to positions in two Palestinian-ruled West Bank areas despite a renewed international demand for their withdrawal.
A gun battle erupted yesterday between troops and Palestinian gunmen in Tulkarm, during which Wafa Nasif (29) was shot in her home, Palestinian witnesses and medics said. The army said troops exchanged fire with Palestinian gunmen who were firing from buildings south of Tulkarm.
The five permanent members of the UN Security Council - the United States, Britain, France, Russia and China - called on Monday for an Israeli pullout from all Palestinian areas and for Palestinians to end 13 months of violence.
But Mr Raanan Gissin, a spokesman for Israeli Prime Minister Mr Ariel Sharon, said troops would not leave West Bank areas around Jenin and Tulkarm until Palestinian security forces agreed to restrain militants and prevent violence.
"There is a plan to withdraw. It has been postponed and delayed because of the current security situation," Mr Gissin said. "People get killed, that's why we're there... Under these conditions we can't withdraw."
Israel reoccupied areas in and around six Palestinian-ruled cities in the West Bank after Palestinian radicals assassinated a far-right cabinet minister on October 17th. It has withdrawn from four of the areas.