Israel's tourism minister assassinated by Palestinians

JERUSALEM -- Israel's tourism minister, a retired general who advocated the expulsion of Palestinians from the West Bank and Gaza, was assassinated Wednesday in a hotel hallway -- a killing claimed by a radical Palestinian group.

Rehavam Zeevi, 75, was the first Cabinet minister to be slain by Palestinians. His killing provoked outrage in Israel and raised the specter of a new outburst of violence at a time when Israel and the Palestinians are trying to patch up a shaky U.S.-supported truce deal.

Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon pledged "a war to the finish against the terrorists, their helpers and those who sent them."

Israel swiftly reimposed travel restrictions in the West Bank that had been eased this week as part of the Sept. 26 cease-fire deal.

The Israeli security Cabinet was meeting later Wednesday, and Sharon spokesman Arnon Perlman indicated a military strike was an option.

Time to reassess

"What happened today requires a reassessment in all fields -- military, political and international," Perlman said. "This reassessment will have profound significance."

Yasser Arafat's Palestinian Authority denounced the assassination of Zeevi, but Israel said that wasn't sufficient; it demanded the arrest and extradition of those responsible. The United States and European nations were also pressing the Palestinians to make arrests, a senior Palestinian security source said.

The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine claimed responsibility for Zeevi's slaying, calling it revenge for the Aug. 27 killing of its leader Mustafa Zibri in an Israeli missile attack. Israel said it targeted Zibri, the highest-ranking Palestinian leader killed in the Mideast fighting, for organizing multiple car bombings.

President Bush condemned the assassination "in the strongest terms" and called it a "despicable act," White House spokesman Ari Fleischer said.