The Palestinian Authority says it has foiled a number of assassination attempts by Israel's secret service on senior Palestinian officials by detaining several `spies' in Gaza and the West Bank.
Mr Khaled al-Qidra, attorney general for the Palestinian security courts, said the arrests had prevented serious harm to Palestinian national interests and officials.
"Some collaborators were caught redhanded... With these detentions we have been able to prevent the assassinations of Palestinian leaders, Mr Qidra said. He did not name any member of the Palestinian Authority political leadership as potential targets.
Mr Qidra claimed Israel had provided collaborators with sophisticated equipment to track down Palestinian activists.
A spokesman for Israel's defence ministry denied the charge and reiterated its stance on tracking and killing Palestinians accused of carrying out or plotting bomb attacks against Israelis.
"Israel has no policy of assassination, but will continue to arrest and attack those who pose a threat to Israeli lives," ministry spokesman Yarden Vatikay said.
The Israeli cabinet today decided to press ahead with its controversial policy of attacking Palestinian militants considered a threat to state security, Israeli public radio said.
The meeting of the so-called "kitchen cabinet" - comprising Prime Minister Mr Ariel Sharon, Defence Minister Mr Binyamin Ben Eliezer and Foreign Minister Mr Shimon Peres - lasted five hours, the radio said, without giving more details.
The Nablus strike in which six adults and two children were killed yeatserday, sparked widespread international criticism, led by Israel's closest ally the United States.Tens of thousands of mourners massed in the town for the funerals today, vowing revenge.
China today condemned Israel's attack in Nablus yesterday in which eight Palestinians were killed.
"We call on both sides in the conflict, especially on Israel, to take immediate steps and tostop all unilateral actions that are not beneficial to the Middle East peace process," Foreign Ministry spokesman was quoted as saying.
Britain also criticised Israel for what it called the targeted assassination of Palestinian militants - an act the Palestinian Authority called a massacre.
The killing of the two children,iwho were walking near the area where the missiles struck, as an acute embarrassment for Israel. Israel has expressed regret at the deaths of the two boys and have said an investigation is under way.
AFP &