Sharon threatens the Palestinians, Egypt postpones its delegation visit to Ramullah

The Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon threatened of a "tough battle" against the Palestinian resistance following the two operations which targeted two buses in Beer Sheba to the south of Israel in which 16 Israelis were killed and other 100 injured.

On Tuesday evening Sharon who held a mini security meeting included his defense minister Shaoul Mofaz and several army leaders to discuss means of retaliating the two operations told journalists " we will continue fighting this terrorism by all means we have." He ordered the army to chase Palestinian activists, stressing that the two explosions will not prevent him from evacuating the Jewish settlements in Gaza in 2005.

At the political level, Egypt decided following the two operations to postpone the visit of each the foreign minister Ahmad Abu al-Gheit and the director of the Egyptian intelligence Lt. Gen. Omar Suleiman which was due to Ramullah today, Wednesday.

The spokesman for the Egyptian foreign ministry said in a short statement that in light of current conditions in the Palestinian lands, it was agreed to postpone the visit of Abu al-Gheit and Suleiman. The spokesman gave no new date to this visit. It was presumed that the two Egyptian officials will discuss with the Palestinian President Yasser Arafat means of enhancing the Palestinian rank unity in preparation for the Israeli withdrawal from Gaza according to Sharon's unilateral withdrawal plan from Gaza.

In the context of the Egyptian- Palestinian coordination, the Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak met with the Palestinian prime minister Ahmad Qurei'. The two sides underlined the importance of the unity of the Palestinian front and Egypt vowed support to it.