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Prime Minister Ehud Olmert attending a Kadima faction meeting in Jerusalem on Monday. (Tomer Appelbaum / BauBau) del.icio.us Digg It!  new Last update - 23:30 29/01/2007 Peretz orders stepped-up counter-terror operations By Haaretz Staff and Agencies Defense Minister Amir Peretz instructed security forces Monday to step up operations against the terror infrastructure in the wake of the suicide bombing in Eilat that killed three people earlier in the day, Israel Radio reported. Peretz issued the order following consultations with defense establishment officials on Israel's response to the bombing. Deputy Defense Minister Ephraim Sneh, Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Dan Halutz also participated in the consultations, along with senior IDF officers and intelligence officials. According to the radio, the defense minister said Israel would do everything it can to preserve the Gaza Strip cease-fire declared several months ago, but would not stand aside and permit attacks against Israelis. Advertisement Earlier, Peretz termed the attack "a very serious incident" and an "escalation." "I've talked with the prime minister and we've decided to act immediately," Peretz said. "There are several assumptions - it is clear the perpetrator is probably a resident of the Gaza Strip. An assessment will be held in an hour." The defense minister ruled out, however, the possibility that Al-Qaida had been involved in the attack. "We will take the necessary steps," he said. "This is certainly an escalation. Prime Minister Ehud Olmert vowed that Israel would "continue in our ongoing and unending struggle against terrorists and those who send them." He said that Israel would "learn all the details of this incident, including intelligence - who sent [the bomber] and in the name of which organization he was dispatched." "We are concerned that the incident will affect a city of holiday, tourism, and summer vacation like Eilat," the prime minister added. "I believe the city of Eilat will overcome this blow and continue to be a happy and magical city." Olmert said he had been in contact with the town's mayor, Meir Yitzhak Halevi, who was "managing things responsibly and with a clear head." Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni said in a statement that, "The Israeli government will decide on the necessary steps to be taken in order to give Israeli citizens security." "Israel has shown extraordinary restraint in order to give the Palestinians an opprotunity to fight terror and stop the attacks," the statement continued. "Unfortunately the Palestinians failed to stop them." "It is crucial for the international community to put pressure on the Hamas-led government, and the Israeli government will decide upon the necessary steps," said the foreign minister. Public Security Minister Avi Dichter said during a visit to Eilat on Monday afternoon that the bomber left from the northern Gaza Strip and arrived in Eilat through the Sinai peninsula. Dichter said the Egyptian authorities are responsible for preventing such events, just as Israel is. "I have no doubt that the Egyptians will do everything so that such events don't recur," he said. "Their responsibility is no less than ours." Dichter added a warning to the suicide bomber's dispatchers: "We will bring them to court. "They know that in terms of being free men their lives are over." A senior Israel Defense Forces officer told Haaretz that an NIS 2-3 billion plan to secure the border with Egypt has already been approved, but its implementation has been held up due to the fact that the full budget has yet to be allocated. The officer said that the Eilat bomber entered Israel through Egypt. The border security plan includes electronic fences and other security methods. According to Dichter, the plans to build a fence along the border with Egypt were shelved due to the high cost. GOC Southern Command Yoav Galant toured the border with Egypt in the Eilat area on Sunday, in order to promote the plan's implementation. A senior military official told Haaretz: "I don't know if the suicide bombing will advance the construction of the fence, we have brought the plan to the point where there is a purpose for the money." Islamic Jihad took responsibility for the mid-morning attack at a bakery in Israel's southernmost resort town. David Baker, an official in the Prime Minister's Office, told Haaretz shortly after the bomber struck that, "At this stage it is unclear what the origin of the attack is. Israel as a nation is continually confronting terrorism and terrorist threats. Israel is always on guard against such attacks, and is compelled to do so." "We are still trying to determine where the suicide bomber came from and the precise details as to his route of attack," Foreign Ministry spokesman Mark Regev said. Government spokeswoman Miri Eisen said that it was too soon to predict Israel's response to the attack. "Israel does not know what the origin of the attack was, and it is a little premature to say what Israel's response will be," she told Sky News. Related articles: Suicide bomber kills three in Eilat bakery blast 'The place was destroyed, there were body parts everywhere' Bradley Burston: Jihad says 'Kiss, make up, and kill the Jews' 'The place was destroyed, there were body parts everywhere' Bookmark to del.icio.us A Palestinian gesture The top PA diplomat in Poland joined his Israeli counterpart on a visit to Auschwitz. Link to Temple found A controversial Temple Mount dig unearthed fragments from the First Temple.   1.   Already obfuscating and surrendering to terror by the PM and MOD 15:38  |  Absolute Sweden 29/01/07   2.   Ulmert wait, soon Dahlan will report the details of the sucide 16:25  |  Scemone 29/01/07   3.   Massive retaliation not in cards 16:31  |  Paul Freedman 29/01/07   4.   Continue relentless fight: What fight? Since when? 16:32  |  Nili 29/01/07   5.   THE PREMIER WAKES UP STILL DREAMING 17:32  |  paul harris 29/01/07   6.   olmert 17:57  |  Sam 29/01/07   7.   Blah Blah Blah 18:07  |  Zev 29/01/07   8.   A good sign 18:30  |  Mark Lincoln 29/01/07   9.   to preserve the cease fire in sderot... 18:35  |  igor 29/01/07   10.   What does that mean? Killing more people than `Summer 18:54  |  Apartheid 29/01/07   11.   there are body parts everywhere when someone picks up one of the 19:00  |  Apartheid 29/01/07   12.   Please, hammer those nails. 19:12  |  Richard S 29/01/07   13.   # 2 Scemone @ Tel Aviv " sure you don`t think right when tired " 19:26  |  Joseph E . 29/01/07   14.   Israeli "restraint"? Is that a joke? 19:28  |  peacelover 29/01/07   15.   Do You Have to Show Olmert`s Picture ? 19:33  |  Tod Zuckerman 29/01/07   16.   haaretz pictures 19:35  |  Shmuel ben Avram 29/01/07   17.   Escuse me sweet Livni, its not PA fault this time 19:37  |  Tamir Gaza 29/01/07   18.   "We will take the necessary steps" 19:48  |  Sam (UK) 29/01/07   19.   Not a joke. 20:00  |  Mike 29/01/07   20.   the only step : end the occupation you muppets 20:26  |  Sam (UK) 29/01/07   21.   hey tamir 20:32  |  vik 29/01/07   22.   Govt.must close borders 2 save lives 20:32  |  sam 29/01/07   23.   How to Stop Attacks 20:41  |  Art Skell 29/01/07   24.   Livni 21:04  |  Omar 29/01/07   25.   infrastructure? time for cool reflection 21:06  |  Paul Freedman 29/01/07   26.   eilat bombing 21:10  |  andrew travers 29/01/07   27.   olmert wait 21:17  |  andrew paul travers 29/01/07   28.   the necessary steps 21:25  |  SLAVO 29/01/07   29.   #17. You, Tamir Gaza, are wrong: THE CRIMINAL GANG WILL BE 21:25  |  Vittorio 29/01/07   30.   Why wont the Arabs talk peace instead of sending.. 21:27  |  Stayin Alive 29/01/07   31.   Restraint? Nothing left to throw at pals but the kitchen sink 21:48  |  Raed 29/01/07   32.   Hey Olmert? 21:52  |  Cowboy 29/01/07   33.   Demolish terrorist`s family house, arrest all his relatives! 21:54  |  Roni 29/01/07   34.   Appropriate response 22:02  |  Cowboy 29/01/07   35.   Another ploy to unite the Palestinians against Israel 22:40  |  Jabadini 29/01/07   36.   Palestinians 22:44  |  Steven Rosenfeld 29/01/07   37.   Peretz said -- now it`s time to act 22:45  |  Shlomo from Tel Aviv 29/01/07   38.   Israel is completely defenseless 22:48  |  Ernst 29/01/07   39.   #31--failure to isolate not proof of wrong 22:48  |  Paul Freedman 29/01/07   40.   #34--to what end? 22:51  |  Paul Freedman 29/01/07   41.   Paul Freedman 22:51  |  Ernie 29/01/07   42.   PEACE IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN JUSTICE 23:05  |  ISREAL LEFT WING 29/01/07   43.   RE: Roni #33 23:10  |  Raed 29/01/07   44.   TARGET:ABDALLAH SHAMI AND MUHAMMAD HINDI. 23:11  |  JUSTICE ALL THE WAY 29/01/07   45.   Same Newspaper, Other article Discrimination? 23:20  |  noekkeijzer 29/01/07   46.   Cowboy # 34: Appropriate response 23:25  |  Raed 29/01/07   47.   Steven Rosenfeld #36 23:29  |  Raed 29/01/07   48.   # 41 and #31 Ernie and Paul F. 23:46  |  Raed 29/01/07   49.   #44 Raed 00:19  |  Cowboy 30/01/07   50.   # 44 Raed - you just said it 00:25  |  ChanahS 30/01/07   51.   #40 Paul 00:29  |  Cowboy 30/01/07   52.   #41: Ernie; causes maybe, not cause 00:40  |  Paul Freedman 30/01/07   53.   Arabs WILL look back at history in... 01:06  |  Moshe 30/01/07   54.   #42 Peace of the dead? 01:13  |  Hastaroth 30/01/07   55.   "Israel`s extrordinary restraint." 01:36  |  Maureen Ann 30/01/07   56.   RE Moshe # 50 (security) 02:20  |  Raed 30/01/07   57.   #47 I did say it, and let me say it again 02:27  |  Raed 30/01/07   58.   Filling the Holy Land with Evil 21:45  |  Janeille 22/10/07

Today Online Bradley Burston: Jewish Republicans - oppressed minority Responses: 93 Report: 180 Jews murdered at 1945 party in Austrian castle Responses: 67 Yossi Melman: Putin is walking a nuclear tighrope in Iran Responses: 51 Haaretz.com TV: Rightists launch video campaign to free Rabin killer Yigal Amir Responses: 22 ANALYSIS: The plot to assassinate Olmert - or the plot that wasn't Responses: 57 Christian-Jewish group bringing dozens of Iran's Jews to Israel Responses: 185 Rosner's Domain * WTR: Hillary, the new Bush? + Lebanese hashish is back * New poll: Where you convinced that the surge in Iraq is working? * Israel's fear: Will Rice put a bridging proposal on the table? * Jumblatt to Bush: Send car bombs to Damascus More Headlines 20:57 PM: I couldn't have heard better things from Sarkozy on Iran 21:36 Livni: A significant gap separates moderate PA leaders will, ability 22:02 Massive crude oil spill stops traffic on Route 4 near Haifa 16:32 Mazuz deputy: Attorney General won't ask PM to suspend himself 20:01 Report: 180 Jews murdered at party in Austrian castle in 1945 21:51 PM to secondary school teachers: Stop strike immediately 20:54 Hezbollah gave Israel letter from MIA Ron Arad as part of swap deal 18:59 PA blasts Israel for riot in Ketziot Prison, which leaves dozens hurt 18:49 IAF: Air force violations of civilian air space down sharply in 2007 15:59 U.S. army chief: Iraq war has sapped ability to fight Iran Previous Editions Select Day 21 oct 19 oct 18 oct 17 oct 16 oct 15 oct 14 oct 12 oct 11 oct 10 oct 09 oct 08 oct

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