Israel Prepares for Military Response to Sunday Attack

Israeli security officials say the country is ready to launch a military operation in the West Bank in response to a deadly attack on a communal farm in northern Israel on Sunday. Reports from Israel indicate that following discussions between Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and the new Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz, the Israeli army is preparing for extensive operations in the cities of Nablus and Tulkarem. The attack on the communal farm and the impending retaliatory strike by Israel complicate the mission of the new U.S. peace plan that began on Monday. On the other hand, Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat announced that he has tasked a committee to investigate the incident. In the Sunday attack, a Palestinian gunman killed five civilians at an Israeli communal farm and then fled to the West Bank. Following the deadly attack, the Israeli army has entered the Tulkarem refugee camp in the West Bank. Palestinian witnesses and security sources report that Israeli tanks and armored vehicles poured into the camp in the early hours of today. There has been no report of Palestinian resistance, and the Israeli army has not commented on the operation. However, just hours earlier, Israeli security officials had announced that the army was preparing for operations in Tulkarem and Nablus, another city in the West Bank. The latest violence further complicates the mission of the new U.S. peace plan that began on Monday.