Israel Further Restricts Palestinian Movement
``We are in a situation of total closure in the northern West Bank. No one goes in or out,'' Israeli Defense Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer told Israel radio.

``We will continue with a long series of measures which I cannot speak of now whose aim is to implement a much wider closure than we are doing now,'' he said.

The new measures appeared aimed at mollifying an Israeli public increasingly nervous about the army's failure to halt Palestinian violence, even though troops have re-occupied seven of the eight Palestinian cities in the West Bank.

But political analysts said Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon was unlikely to change his current military policy, under which Israel has occupied the seven cities, held 700,000 Palestinians under curfew and regularly sent troops on raids to arrest militants.

Nabil Abu Rdainah, a senior aide to Arafat, condemned the latest Israeli moves and called on the international community to force an Israeli pullout.

``No doubt the Palestinian suffering demands an immediate international intervention because of the humanitarian catastrophe of the people,'' he told Reuters.

Following Sunday's attacks, Israel suspended talks due this week with Palestinians on security and easing hardships.

But Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres went ahead with a meeting in Egypt Monday with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, who was expected to press demands for a quick Israeli withdrawal from Palestinian-ruled areas.

On his return to Israel, Peres said Mubarak told him that he did not believe Sharon had a plan for peace.
http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/world/international-mideast.html