HIGHLIGHTS: Palestinian Teenager Killed in Gaza||Israel's New 'Aggressive Defence' Policy||Palestinians Accuse Bush of Interfering in Palestinian Internal Affairs||STORY: Israel maintained its military grip on the West Bank city of Qalqilya and enforced a curfew in Tulkarm as the occupation army intensified raids into Palestinian-ruled areas following four Resistance bomb attacks within a week. (Read photo caption)

PALESTINIAN TEENAGER KILLED

In the Gaza Strip, a Palestinian teenager was killed when shrapnel from Israeli tank fire near Khan Younis hit him, Palestinian security sources said. A military source said occupation troops shot toward the source of Palestinian mortar fire.

Israeli tanks had rumbled into Qalqilya shortly before dawn on Sunday just as other forces concluded an operation in Bethlehem, also in the West Bank.

Israeli armor also patrolled Tulkarm to enforce a curfew, even after the end on Saturday of a 24-hour operation in the West Bank city.

The occupation army has swept in and out of Palestinian-ruled areas since it declared an end to a crushing West Bank offensive that it said was meant to combat bombings in a 20-month-old Palestinian uprising against Israeli occupation.

Israeli Defense Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer said Palestinian militants had since regrouped to send one to two bombers daily into Israel.

An Israeli military source said security forces had recently arrested in Gaza two men, each carrying a bomb belt with 30 kg (66 pounds) of explosives, who planned a double bombing attack in the southern Israeli city of Beersheba.

ISRAELI OCCUPATION FORCES SWEEP BACK IN BETHLEHEM

Israeli troops swept back into Bethlehem on Monday. Witnesses and Palestinian security sources said dozens of jeeps and armored troop carriers had entered Bethlehem and surrounding villages before dawn.

An Israeli military source said troops had entered Manger Square at the heart of Bethlehem to prevent militants taking refuge in the Church of the Nativity.


ISRAEL'S NEW 'AGGRESSIVE DEFENCE' POLICY

The recent quick incursions into Palestinian-rule areas by the Israeli occupation army form part of a new policy of regularly entering Palestinian Authority areas in search of bombers.

According to Israeli occupation army sources the focus is on what the occupation army calls "aggressive defense" around the Green Line, intended to keep bombers away from Israeli cities.

Israeli military commentators described the brief, overlapping raids as a less risky way of searching for Palestinian bombers after Israel ended a broad offensive in the West Bank on May 10.

But Israel's repeated incursions and circling of Palestinian cities have prompted Palestinian President Yasser Arafat to threaten to delay long-sought reforms and elections within his own leadership.

BUSH ACCUSED OF INTERFERING IN PALESTINIAN INTERNATL AFFAIRS

Arafat demanded on Sunday that Israel "finish quickly the siege of all our cities and towns in the West Bank and Gaza" to facilitate preparations for an internationally supervised vote.

Last week, Arafat promised legislative and presidential elections by next winter.

In Russia, President Bush reiterated criticism of Arafat and stressed the need for reforms in his Palestinian Authority called for by the United States, Israel and many Palestinians.

"He had a chance to secure the peace...He didn't. He had a chance to fight terrorism, and he hasn't," Bush said before ending a four-day summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

"Evidently there's a new attitude among some of the Palestinian leadership, and we'll see if he can deliver," he told reporters, referring to calls for reform of the Palestinian Authority set up under the 1993 Oslo peace accord with Israel.

The remarks drew an indignant response from senior Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat, who accused Bush of "interfering in the elected Palestinian leadership."

PHOTO CAPTION

An Israeli occupation army armored personnel carrier (APC) passes a checkpoint at the entrance to the West Bank city of Qalqiliya May 26, 2002. Israeli tanks and occupation troops swept into Qalqiliya after withdrawing from Bethlehem overnight. (Mahfouz Abu Turk/Reuters