Israel intensifies punitive measures against Palestinians

Following last Sunday's double-suicide bombing in Tel Aviv that killed 22 people and 2 Palestinians, Israel has taken a train of punitive measures that affected civilian population, officials and university students alike.

In addition to carrying on their house-razing rampage, Israel has closed three Palestinian universities, banned Palestinian officials from going to London to take part in a conference on the Palestinian authority reforms and forbid all under-35 Palestinians to travel abroad, including those who have work permits to work in Israel.

The chief Palestinian negotiator, Saeb Erekat, said this is a new evidence that Israel is trying to destroy the Palestinian authority, while British prime minister, Tony Blair, who is sponsoring the London conference wrote to Israeli peer, Ariel Sharon, to ask him to rescind the decision to prevent Palestinian officials from travelling to London.