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Attacks: Olmert vows iron fist

JERUSALEM: Acting Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, reacting to a recent upsurge in Palestinian militant attacks, vowed on Thursday to use ``an iron fist'' against acts of terror, and said no restrictions would be placed on security forces.

Mr. Olmert spoke after a rash of shooting and stabbing attacks claimed the life of one Israeli civilian and injured five. In the latest attack, an Israeli man was stabbed in the neck at an Israeli factory in northern Jerusalem on Thursday.

A day earlier, at a campaign stop ahead of March 28 Israeli elections, Mr. Olmert said Israel would pursue all opportunities for peace, but would relentlessly fight Palestinian terrorism.

In recent weeks, Israel has stepped up arrest raids in the West Bank and carried out pinpointed killings of Gaza militants it says were involved in planning or carrying out attacks. It denied involvement in the car blast on Wednesday in Gaza City that killed Islamic Jihad's top military commander in Gaza, Khaled Dahdouh.

Mr. Olmert also said that Israel was intensifying its campaign against the Al-Qaeda. He spoke in response to Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas' acknowledgment in a published interview that Al-Qaeda has infiltrated the Gaza Strip and West Bank. — AP

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