MIDDLE EAST: The Israeli Prime Minister Mr Ariel Sharon signalled a shift in his government's approach to the escalating conflict with the Palestinians, when he declared in a televised address to the nation last night that his cabinet had decided to set up physical barriers and buffer zones to separate the two peoples.
But the Prime Minister, who appeared to be adopting the advice given him by some senior security officials, refrained from saying whether the zones would be in Israeli or Palestinian territory, how wide they would be, and how they would impact on the lives of Palestinians and Jewish settlers .
Those calling for physical separation between Israel and the West Bank - a call which has won growing political and public support in Israel as the conflict with the Palestinians has intensified - have said this would necessitate the dismantling of a large number of Jewish settlements.
But Mr Sharon, who drew strong support from Jewish settlers and their political allies in the last election, dismissed any talk of settlements being evacuated.
Asked whether he would allow Palestinian Authority President Mr Yasser Arafat to leave Ramallah, following the arrest yesterday of three Palestinians alleged to have carried out the assassination of Israeli tourism minister Mr Rehavam Ze'evi last October, the Prime Minister said Israel was still "checking" the news of the arrests.
The Israeli leader has made the arrest of Mr Ze'evi's killers a condition for any lifting of the travel ban on Mr Arafat, who has been confined to Ramallah since late last year.
Mr Sharon did hint, however, that the government might reconsider the travel ban on Mr Arafat. "The matter will return to the cabinet and it will decide on this issue," he said.
Mr Sharon also reiterated his conditions for a ceasefire and talks: the dismantling of the "terror organisations" in Palestinian-controlled areas, and the "complete disarmament" of Palestinians.
Among the targets hit yesterday in Israeli strikes were the Palestinian police headquarters in Ramallah, a Palestinian police position in Nablus and targets in Jenin and Qalqilyah.
Israeli warplanes also struck Palestinian security installations in the Gaza Strip town of Khan Yunis, and destroyed a hall in Ramallah in which Mr Arafat hosted foreign dignitaries, some 150 metres from his office.
A Palestinian cabinet minister, Mr Nabil Shaath, said: "If separation is intended to stop suicidal missions, it has failed. If it's intended to stop trade and communication between the two peoples, it has succeeded to the misery of both."
The Spanish Prime Minister, José Maria Aznar, whose country holds the European Union's rotating presidency, called the situation "practically [one] of war" and said it would be hard for the EU to put forward any peace initiative in the current climate.