WORLD : Rock Throwers’ Rooms Sealed

Israeli soldiers sealed rooms in two Palestinian homes today in a new army policy that lets authorities close all or part of houses where residents are suspected of hurling rocks at troops.

Another Palestinian was reported killed today when a civilian opened fire on rock throwers who attacked his truck in the West Bank.

The new policy on sealing homes, which could affect hundreds of families in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, drew immediate criticism from civil rights groups and liberal politicians, who said the measure amounted to collective punishment.

In the nearly 26-month-old uprising, the army has razed or sealed hundreds of homes to punish Arabs suspected of fire bombings or serious attacks. But the penalty was not used for stone throwing, the most common tactic of teen-agers at the forefront of the uprising against Israeli occupation.