Israel's foreign minister said Israeli leaders, holding an emergency session Thursday after two bomb attacks should ignore U.S. objections and expel Palestinian President Yasser Arafat.
Ariel Sharon, cutting short a trip to India after 15 Jewish settlers and soldiers were killed in bomb attack in Jerusalem and near Tel Aviv Tuesday, prepared to consult his security cabinet on further military moves against Palestinians.
Wednesday an Israeli warplane failed to assassinate Mahmoud al-Zahhar, a political leader of the Hamas group that claimed responsibility for the two bombings, but killed his son and a bodyguard in a missile strike on his home in Gaza.
**Meeting Delayed***
A meeting to formally install Palestinian prime minister-designate Ahmed Qorei and approve his "emergency government" has been delayed, sources said, amid Israeli demands to halt Palestinian attacks and Hamas warnings it will escalate its campaign of violence.
Fatah member Qadura Fares said the Thursday morning meeting of the Palestinian Legislative Council, scheduled for 11:00 am, "has been delayed." Asked if it would be delayed for days or hours, Fares said: "I don't know."
Sources close to Qorei had told AFP that a nine-member emergency cabinet was also to have been named.
Outgoing prime minister Mahmud Abbas' security chief Mohammed Dahlan is included in the planned line-up, even though he had previously indicated he would not serve in a government not headed by Abbas.
News that Qorei would seek formal parliamentary approval for his team came just hours after he agreed Wednesday to take on the job in succession to Abbas, who resigned after finding his position untenable.
**Israeli Terror Continues***
In the town of Tulkaram, occupation forces stormed a hospital, seizing documents and computers, according to a Palestinian security source.
The soldiers raided the al-Zakat Hospital run by a local Muslim group. An Israeli army spokesman confirmed the raid had occurred, claiming material inciting resistance attacks were taken away.
Elsewhere Israeli tanks invaded the Rafah refugee camp in Gaza Strip, demolishing 15 homes, said Palestinian security sources.
Troops were backed by armored vehicles and bulldozers before withdrawing from the area.
Two Palestinians were killed and a third seriously wounded by Israeli army gunfire Wednesday in Balata refugee camp outside Nablus in the West Bank, hospital sources said.
A third Palestinian was killed and another wounded by Israeli army gunfire in the northern West Bank town of Jenin.
Meanwhile a Hamas militant wounded in a shooting in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday died after the Israeli army prevented him from being taken to hospital, Palestinian medical and security sources said.
**PHOTO CAPTION***
Hamas leader, Mahmoud al-Zahar is seen in his hospital bed in Gaza City. (AFP/Pool/Suhaib Salem