GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — Using U.S.-made aircraft and at least one bomb with U.S. markings, Israeli forces blasted Palestinian police structures in the Gaza Strip and West Bank on Sunday, responding to the killings of five Israelis a day earlier.
A Palestinian policeman was killed and 18 people injured when F-16 and F-15 warplanes dropped bombs on Palestinian police headquarters in Gaza City, Dir al-Balah in southern Gaza and the Salfit village in the West Bank on Sunday morning. In other violence Sunday, another Palestinian and an Israeli were also killed.
At a news conference, Palestinian spokeswoman Hanan Ashrawi charged that "Israel is using American weapons against human rights."
Responding, Israeli Public Security Minister Uzi Landau said: "I don't have to justify it. It's a clear move that you take in order to respond to acts of terror."
Israel usually targets Palestinian security installations in its retaliatory strikes because it holds Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat ultimately responsible for attacks on Israelis. Israel says Arafat's security forces do little to rein in the militants and sometimes participate in attacks on Israelis.
The Palestinians blame Israel for the violence, charging that its occupation of the West Bank and Gaza Strip is the cause, exacerbated by roadblocks and travel restrictions there. The Palestinians say their police and security are defending themselves against Israeli aggression.
Now the Palestinians charge that the United States is blatantly taking Israel's side in the conflict.
On Sunday, Palestinian police officers inspected the ruins of the four-story building in Gaza City that housed their headquarters, showing reporters a green metal fragment with yellow lettering that said "for use on M-84" — referring to a one-ton bomb that, according to the Pentagon's Web site, can be fitted with a laser guiding device and carried by the U.S.-made warplanes used in the raids.