An Israeli helicopter rocket killed a Palestinian militant on Wednesday and three other militants died in clashes with Israeli troops, hours after Israeli forces entered a West Bank village and arrested Palestinians suspected of plotting suicide attacks. The operations came amid heightened security in central Israel because of fears of attacks and as Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said that Israel was ready to negotiate with the Palestinians. “We are ready to negotiate. Myself, I am going to lead those negotiations. I really believe in that,” Sharon told members of the World Jewish Congress meeting in Jerusalem.
In a targeted strike, an Israeli helicopter gunship fired a rocket at a barn in the West Bank town of Hebron, killing Jami Jadallah, the army said. Witnesses said that he had been hiding out in the barn, which belonged to an aunt, knowing Israel considered him one of the most wanted militants.
He had links to senior members of the militant group Hamas responsible for previous suicide bombings, including the June 1 attack at a Tel Aviv disco that killed the bomber and 21 others, an army statement said. He had escaped from Palestinian jails four times since he was convicted of killing two Israelis in 1998, the statement said. A Palestinian official, speaking on condition on anonymity, confirmed that Jadallah had been jailed and last escaped more than a year ago. The militant group Islamic Jihad called the killing the ugly assassination and said that it would be avenged. Israel's army, however, had said that Jadallah was a member of Hamas. Bureau Report