After the UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, strongly criticized Israel yesterday, telling the Jewish state to rein in its attacks on Palestinian civilians and end its "illegal occupation" of Palestinian lands, today the UN passed a resolution first time in the history, calling for a Palestinian state alongside Israel.

The US-drafted document "affirming a vision" of a Palestinian state was backed by 14 out of 15 members of the Security Council.

It was the first resolution on the conflict the United States, Israel's staunchest ally, had introduced since fighting erupted in September 2000.

Israel Doesn't Stop

A day after launching its biggest offensive in 20 years, Israeli tanks and troops remained in the Palestinians' main West Bank city of Ramallah on Wednesday.

Palestinian security sources said five Palestinians were killed in fighting with Israeli troops in the city's al-Manara district, near Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat's headquarters. The deputy commander of Mr Arafat's Force-17 bodyguard, Abu Fadih, was among those who died, the Palestinians said.

Palestinian officials had accused Israel of starting to reoccupy the West Bank and Gaza Strip to thwart US envoy Anthony Zinni's mission to the region, which begins on Thursday.

Annan yesterday also urged that Israel must stop "the bombing of civilian areas, the assassinations, the unnecessary use of lethal force, the demolitions and the daily humiliation of ordinary Palestinians."

Attack on Israeli Bus From Lebanon?

The latest Israeli deaths came early yesterday afternoon, when gunmen opened fire on Israeli vehicles traveling near the border with Lebanon, killing six Israelis, including a policeman and two women, and injuring six others. Israel Radio said soldiers killed two of the gunmen responsible for the attack, and large reinforcements searched frantically for others.

Israel initially speculated that the attack near the Lebanon border yesterday afternoon was the work of Lebanese resistance fighters who had infiltrated across the border. However, reports from the scene said there was no definite indication that the gunmen had crossed from Lebanon.