Israel restricts travel of some Palestinians after attack

JERUSALEM -- Israel banned Palestinians younger than 35 from entering the country to work Tuesday, even if they have permits, the latest punitive measure after a double Palestinian suicide bombing in Tel Aviv killed 22 bystanders.

Israel also drew complaints from Britain by banning Palestinian negotiators from attending a London session planned for discussing reform in the Palestinian Authority.

The Israeli government has said it would close three Palestinian universities in response to the attacks, but took no action Tuesday.

A splinter of the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, linked to Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat's Fatah movement claimed responsibility for the two bombings in Tel Aviv, and Israel blamed Arafat and the Palestinian Authority.

Though the Palestinian leadership denounced the attack, the deadliest inside Israel since March, Israel enacted measures aimed at Palestinian officials, banning them from leaving the country.

Britain had announced it would host Palestinian, European and U.N. representatives at a conference Jan. 13-14 to discuss administrative reforms in Arafat's regime. After angry exchanges, Israel and Britain appeared to be trying to defuse the disagreement, with Britain expressing the hope that Israel would lift the ban.

On Tuesday, Israel further tightened restrictions, saying only Palestinian workers age 35 and over could enter Israel, the military said. Before the current conflict erupted in September 2000, more than 100,000 Palestinian workers crossed into Israel every day, providing a key source of income for the West Bank and Gaza.

When the fighting began, Israel at first banned all Palestinians from entering for security reasons, saying that would keep attackers out of the country.

Now, only about 25,000 workers and 8,000 merchants have permits to enter, said Ophir Chacham, spokesman for Israeli military administration. The new ban meant that most workers with permits would be idled.

Military raid protested

In Gaza, thousands of people marched alongside the bodies of three Palestinians killed early Tuesday in a three-hour exchange of fire with Israeli troops conducting searches for militants near the Maghazi refugee camp in Gaza Strip.

Troops fired at Palestinian civilians driving in a car near the operation, killing one and injuring another, relatives of the dead men said. The body of another Palestinian, a gunman, was found in a nearby field, witnesses said. The identity of the third Palestinian victim was not known.

The army said soldiers were fired at by gunmen during the operation and returned fire, hitting the gunmen.

On the outskirts of Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip, an exchange of fire broke out as the army cleared trees in an effort to prevent shooting at a nearby lookout post, the army said.

Palestinian witnesses said soldiers demolished two empty buildings. Near the West Bank city of Nablus, the army blew up the homes of two senior militants, one who was killed in an attack six months ago in which five Israelis were killed and another who allegedly helped in that and another fatal attack, Palestinian witnesses said.

About 20 people lived in the three-story houses, the witnesses said. The army confirmed the demolition of both homes.