Israel Matzav

The leader of the Islamic Jihad terrorist group on Sunday said rocket attacks and suicide bombings against Israeli targets will continue, despite an Israeli offensive in the northern Gaza Strip.

In a statement posted on the Islamic Jihad Web site, Ramadan Shalah said Islamic Jihad considers rocket fire a "direct threat" to Israel. "Therefore firing rockets will continue," he said.

He also said the organization was making efforts to infiltrate Israel with suicide bombers from the West Bank. "The nonstop crackdown against our resistance might limit this effort, but it's not going to stop it," he said.

Israel has stepped up an offensive in northern Gaza aimed at halting the rocket fire. Shalah, who lives in exile in Syria, spoke while attending a conference in Iran. His comments were published ahead of a meeting in Gaza between Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh and rival factions, including Islamic Jihad.

But the IDF is looking for revenants today instead of looking for terrorists.

A 17-year-old Israeli was lightly wounded near Yad Yair on Sunday when unidentified locals [i.e. 'Palestinians' CiJ] in the outskirts of Ramallah opened fire on settlers in the area.

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Settlers returned fire at those who shot at them, as the IDF was called to the area.

The settlers were in the area ... with the intention of walking along the illegally constructed Wallerstein Road leading from Beit El to the Yad Yair settlement.

The IDF ... declared the road to be a closed military zone to prevent the march. Clashes began when the activists were denied access to the road.

During the confrontation, activists threw stones as well as bottles and light bulbs filled with paint, lightly injuring one soldier; six right-wing activists were detained by police.

In the course of the clashes, around 40 settler youths broke through the southern gate of Beit El to get to the Wallerstein Road but were stopped by police.

According to settlers, over 1,000 people had joined the protest march, and the IDF was not succeeding in its efforts to stop them.

According to the IDF, the activists rejected a compromise in which a small number of them would be able to march while the rest rode in armored vehicles.

The Wallerstein Road, which has been closed to Israeli traffic since the beginning of the second intifada, is a symbol of settlers' power. Built by Pinchas Wallerstein, construction of the road was opposed by Israeli authorities. Wallerstein disguised the project as a water pipeline and struck clandestine deals with Palestinians to clear land for the road.