Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert warned Thursday that Israel would not stand for the relentless salvos and vowed to strike at Palestinian militants "without compromise, without concessions and without mercy." Olmert toured Sderot, the Israeli town that is the preferred target for Palestinian rocket squads, late Thursday.
A spokesman for Abbas, Nabil Abu Rdeineh, said the violence was calling into question further peace talks. "No one can proceed with negotiations when the situation is like this," he said.
Israel's military has been unable to counter the low-tech, short-range rockets that have plagued Israel's south for six years, killing 12 people. Airstrikes and pinpoint ground operations have killed hundreds of Gaza militants, and full-blown invasions have caused widespread casualties and damage -- but none of the measures have stopped the rocket fire for long.
While ratcheting up its military response in Gaza, Israel has scaled back operations in the West Bank as it talks peace with Abbas' government, and has granted amnesty to hundreds of Palestinian gunmen there. But some army raids continue, especially in the town of Nablus, considered a hotbed of militant activity.
Early Friday, Israeli troops in Nablus killed a wanted Palestinian militant from the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, an armed group tied to Abbas' Fatah movement, according to the military and Palestinian officials. The military said the man was responsible for planning suicide bombings and manufacturing weapons.
