Israel Watches as Abbas Tells Forces to Focus on Militants

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, under intense pressure to rein in militant groups, issued instructions to his security forces Monday to try to prevent attacks against Israel, members of his Cabinet said.

The announcement, made without details on the eve of Abbas’ planned visit today to the Gaza Strip for meetings with leaders of Palestinian militant organizations, drew a lukewarm response from Israel.

“If they follow through, it would be a step in the right direction,” said David Baker, an aide to Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.

Baker said Israel wanted to see concrete steps such as the deployment of security forces in parts of Gaza where extremists often launch rockets and mortar shells at Israeli towns and Jewish settlements.

Hamas, the largest and most powerful of the militant groups, said it would continue its attacks, even though it has indicated openness to the idea of a cease-fire. “The weapon of resistance is the choice of all Palestinians, not only Hamas,” spokesman Mushir Masri said.

Abbas’ dealings with the guerrillas have emerged as the central quandary of his presidency. He favors a negotiated accord with militant groups rather than armed confrontation. But Israel is threatening harsh military action unless he can quickly halt the attacks on towns near the boundary with Gaza.

One such volley Saturday, aimed at the Negev desert town of Sderot, left a 17-year-old Israeli girl critically injured. On Monday, hundreds of townspeople staged a general strike and protest, demanding that Sharon find a way to stop the attacks.

“A government that cannot defend all its citizens is a government that has no right to rule,” the town’s mayor, Eli Moyal, told the crowd.

Two more rockets fell on Sderot’s outskirts Monday, but no injuries were reported.

Attacks originating in Gaza have taken on ominous political significance for Sharon, who is struggling to make headway in his plan to evacuate settlers and troops from the seaside territory this summer. His right-wing opponents cite the rocket fire as proof that without an Israeli military presence, the enclave would become a safe haven and staging ground for the militias.

On Sunday, the Israeli leader ordered the army to take any action necessary to stop the attacks, but the next day Israeli news reports cited senior officials saying there would be a two- or three-week grace period before any major operations.

The softening of the Israeli position reportedly followed an appeal to Sharon by Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak to give Abbas a chance to take matters in hand.

Abbas and other Palestinian officials have said that moving too aggressively against the militants, who have a solid base of support in Gaza, could trigger a fratricidal war. The lack of details about the orders given to security forces illustrates the sensitivity of the subject among Palestinians.

“A decision was taken that we will handle our obligation to stop violence against Israelis anywhere,” Cabinet minister Saeb Erekat told Associated Press.

However, a Cabinet statement said only that security forces were told to “show their responsibility and enforce the rule of law.”

Some ministers said the directive stopped well short of ordering Palestinian security forces to actively confront cells of guerrillas engaging in rocket and mortar attacks. Kadoura Fares, a minister without portfolio, said officials hoped that police patrols in areas militants commonly use to launch rockets would provide a deterrent.

Israel’s anger was stoked by an assault Thursday on the main commercial crossing into Gaza, where six Israelis were killed. Israeli investigators believe the attackers left from a Palestinian Authority base and passed through a Palestinian checkpoint on their way to carry out the gun and bomb attack.

Palestinian security agencies are investigating those allegations, Palestinian officials said Monday.

Attacks have grown more sophisticated and brazen in recent months, with militant groups at times putting aside longtime rivalries to work together.

Israeli troops Monday killed two suspected members of the militant group Islamic Jihad who were approaching the border fence between Gaza and Israel. The army said soldiers searching the area found an antitank missile and launcher.

Israel also has faced a spate of low-level attacks on its border with Lebanon by guerrillas of Hezbollah, apparently intended as a show of support for Palestinian militants.

On Monday, a bomb exploded next to an armored bulldozer that was clearing explosives laid by Hezbollah just inside Israel.

No casualties were reported, but Israel launched retaliatory airstrikes against what it said were Hezbollah positions.

Special correspondent Rushdie abu Alouf in Gaza City contributed to this report.