Ramon calls for dismantling outposts

Israel decide within a week or two to dismantle Jewish settlement outposts and must do more to enable the Palestinians to build two industrial parks in the West Bank, Israel's vice prime minister said on Saturday, in thinly veiled criticism of Israel's defense minister.

Delays dismantling the outposts are harming Israel's relations with the US, Vice Prime Minister Haim Ramon told Israel Radio.

The removal of dozens of outposts is five years overdue, despite repeated Israeli promises to the US that it will take action, and no progress has been made on building the industrial parks despite public expressions of support by Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak four months ago.

Under US-backed "road map" plan, Israel is to remove settlement outposts, freeze settlement expansion and ease restrictions on Palestinian movement, while the Palestinians must disarm militants.

US of State Condoleezza Rice has said neither side is doing enough and Israel has come under international criticism in recent weeks for continued settlement building. Middle East envoy Tony Blair, reiterated last week that Israel must ease travel restrictions to enable the Palestinian economy to recover.

In violence on Saturday, Israeli airstrikes killed three Palestinian militants and wounded six, Palestinian medical and security officials said. They said the dead and injured were all members of the Islamic Jihad group, hit in three separate raids in central and northern Gaza.

The Israeli military confirmed two strikes, in which it said five armed men preparing to launch rockets at Israeli targets were hit. Earlier, the military said, three Palestinian rockets fell in Israel but there were no reported casualties.

Also in Gaza on Saturday, Hamas said its fighters would keep targeting Israeli aircraft with heavy machine guns, after hitting an Israeli helicopter over Gaza for the first time. The Israeli military did not comment on Friday night's incident, but security officials said the helicopter was lightly damaged and returned to Israel safely.

It was not clear whether the hit was an isolated incident or a sign of Hamas' increasing military capabilities. Hamas is believed to have more than a dozen Russian-made KPV-14.5mm machine guns.

In his radio interview on Saturday, Ramon said Israel is torn between security concerns and trying to improve the daily lives of Palestinians in the West Bank.

"The military insists on security arrangements," he said. "On the other hand, the broader view requires us to take certain risks, and I am among those who believe that it would have been possible to reach certain agreements with the Palestinians on civil affairs."

Ramon an Israeli go-ahead for the two industrial zones, near the West Bank cities of Hebron and Jenin, "is vital for a change of atmosphere in the West Bank."

The industrial parks would create thousands of badly needed jobs. One of the projects, near Hebron, is led by Turkey, and both are sponsored by Blair. Last week, Blair said progress would have to be made soon.

"Otherwise, it is difficult for people to see that the political process has real credibility," Blair said.

Concerning settlement outposts, Ramon said it was time for the Israeli defense establishment to end drawn-out negotiations with settler leaders on the fate of the outposts, which have been set up over the past decade to try to thwart the establishment of a Palestinian state.