Israeli Jets Fire At Abbas Compound

Palestinian Leader Not There, Reason For Target Not Unknown

(CBS/AP)  Israeli warplanes fired three missiles into abandoned police base at the presidential compound of Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas on Tuesday, wounding two people and leaving deep craters in the ground. Abbas was not there at the time, instead at his main office in the West Bank.

The Israeli airstrike came in response to homemade Palestinian rocket attacks on southern Israel, though it was not immediately clear why Abbas' compound was targeted. Abbas has been a strong critic of the rocket fire and has urged the new Hamas Cabinet to accept peacemaking with Israel.

Abbas spokesman Nabil Abu Rdeneh called for the United States and other Western powers to intervene.

"This escalation will lead the area to more violence and instability," he said.

The Hamas-controlled Interior Ministry, which oversees some of the Palestinian security forces, condemned the Israeli "aggression" and threatened to retaliate.

"For every action, there's a reaction," ministry spokesman Khaled Abu Hilal said. "The occupation must understand that our people have the ability to be steadfast in confronting acts of occupation."

In other developments:

Acting Prime Minister Ehud Olmert announced Tuesday that he'll seek to form a coalition with the center-left Labor Party, an alliance that would boost his plan to withdraw from much of the West Bank and draw Israel's final borders by 2010.

An operation on ailing Prime Minister Ariel Sharon was delayed Tuesday after doctors found an infection in his upper respiratory tract. The 78-year-old Sharon was supposed to have an operation to reattach a portion of his skull that was removed for brain surgery after his massive stroke three months ago, reports CBS News correspondent Robert Berger. The skull surgery is said to be the last step before Sharon is moved to a long-term care facility. Doctors say his chances of recovery are poor.

Israel's largest bank said Tuesday it is severing ties with Palestinian banks, the latest blow to the beleaguered Palestinian economy in the wake of the formation of a new Hamas government. The extent of the Bank Hapoalim's ties with the Palestinian banks isn't known, but is believed to be significant. It's also not known when the decision would go into effect.

A Jewish settler group has purchased two buildings in an Arab neighborhood on the Mount of Olives in East Jerusalem, reports Berger. Palestinians in the area say the Jews don't belong there, but the purchase is legal. Several Jewish groups have been buying up Arab property in Jerusalem, in an attempt to strengthen Israeli control over the entire city. Despite threats by fellow Palestinians, some Arabs are lured by the high prices to take the money and run.

The new Palestinian foreign minister from Hamas said Tuesday he has been invited to China next month for what would be his first trip to a non-Arab country since the Islamic militant group took office. Many countries have said they would shun the new Hamas government, because the group refuses to recognize Israel and renounce violence. "China was and will continue to support the Palestinian people in their legitimate struggle to restore their national rights," the Chinese representative to the Palestinians, Yang Wei Guo, said.

The Ansar 2 compound, formerly used by Palestinian security forces to store equipment, has been largely abandoned due to previous Israeli attacks. During five years of fighting, Israel repeatedly attacked the site, most recently in 2004.

The missiles fired Tuesday landed on an abandoned helicopter landing pad. Israel destroyed the Palestinian presidential helicopter in December 2001.

The Israeli airstrike came in response to homemade Palestinian rocket attacks on southern Israel. The army said it had attacked an empty building in a residential area and open fields in northern Gaza used by militants to fire rockets.

Militants fired four homemade projectiles into Israel earlier Tuesday. There were no reports of injuries.

The announcement that Olmert's Kadima Party would seek a coalition with the more-left Labor Party came after a meeting between Olmert, head of Kadima, and Labor's chief, Amir Peretz. The meeting signaled the end of a rift between Olmert and Peretz that began after last week's national election.

With Peretz standing next to him during a news conference, Olmert said: "We are happy to announce that immediately after the president gives me the mission of putting together a government, we will open coalition talks that will allow us to form a government in which the Labor Party will be a senior member."

In last week's election, Kadima emerged as the largest party in parliament with 29 out of 120 seats, followed by Labor with 19 seats.

Under Israel's electoral system, the leader of the largest party is traditionally asked by Israel's president to try to form a coalition government. However, Labor initially recommended to the president that its leader, Peretz, be asked to form the government. It was not clear whether this was an attempt by Labor to pressure Olmert in coalition talks. Peretz, an ex-union boss, wants to become finance minister, a demand Olmert is loathe to meet.


©MMVI CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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