Israeli forces take control of Tulkarem

Israeli troops take cover behind an armored personnel carrier

TULKAREM, West Bank (CNN) -- Israel's military took control of an entire Palestinian city early Monday, the first time it has done so since the uprising in the Palestinian territories began in September 2000.

Backed by helicopters and dozens of tanks, Israeli troops established positions throughout the West Bank city of Tulkarem. Palestinian security sources, the town's governor, Izzedine Al-Sharif, and the Israel Defense Forces confirmed the raid. The military said it initiated the action to root out terrorists and their infrastructure.

Palestinian security sources said a 19-year-old Palestinian was killed and seven were wounded during the raid.

Israeli tanks Monday also occupied almost one-third of Ramallah, where Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat's headquarters are located, after clashes with Palestinian forces, according to Palestinian estimates. Two died in the Ramallah firefight, including one Palestinian security officer, and seven others sustained injuries, Palestinian security sources said.

The IDF said that Tulkarem is a center for terror activities and has a broad terrorist infrastructure.

Monday's action was the latest move in a recent upsurge of violence that has seen increased attacks by Palestinian militants against Israeli soldiers and civilians followed by retaliatory strikes by Israel. Political relations between the two sides were further strained by the discovery of a shipload of missiles and other arms that Israel says was destined for the Palestinians.

Israeli troops also enter refugee camps

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On Monday, troops searched houses and detained several Palestinians in Tulkarem. The military sealed off the city, cordoned it into sections and established a strict curfew -- no one was allowed to leave their homes.

People were being arrested during the action, and three houses in the city were taken over, sources said.

Israel withdrew from Tulkarem in 1995 as part of the Oslo accords, which were signed by Israel and Arafat in 1993 and 1995. There have been Israeli incursions into sections of towns during the 16-month uprising, but, as the Israeli daily Ha'aretz put it, Israel has up until now "refrained from actions that could be viewed as 're-occupation' of whole towns."

Arafat called the Israeli action "a very dangerous development," and was meeting with European and U.N. mediators at his headquarters in Ramallah on the situation. Israeli tanks remain parked across from his government complex.

Troops also entered the adjacent Tulkarem and Nur Shams refugee camps, according to Al-Sharif and Israel Radio. The IDF said troops entered Nur Shams to carry out an arrest, but subsequently left the camp.

The Israeli military told the Palestinian Authority that it would be taking the action, but stressed that it was acting against terrorists but not the Palestinian Authority.

"During the operation Israeli forces overtook a number of positions in the city, and are carrying out search-and-arrest operations. The operation will be limited in time and will end once the search and arrest operation is over," the IDF said.

Israelis take action after bat mitzvah violence

The Monday raid came days after a Palestinian gunman opened fire at a bat mitzvah celebration in the coastal town of Hadera, north of Tel Aviv, killing six Israelis. The gunman in the attack was from Tulkarem, the Israeli military said.

Arafat has come under increasing pressure from the United States, Israel and Europe to crack down on terrorists in territory under Palestinian control since a string of December attacks killed more than 30 Israelis.

Meanwhile, former U.S. President Bill Clinton was visiting Israeli leaders in Tel Aviv, where he received an honorary degree Sunday from Tel Aviv University. In the last days of his term, the Clinton administration proposed a framework for ending the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

"Last year, I believe Chairman Arafat missed a golden opportunity to make that agreement. I think the violence and terrorism which followed were not inevitable, and have been a terrible mistake," Clinton said.

"I think the Palestinians have to move against their terrorist organizations and have to have the ability to do so, and I hope that many of the miseries that the Palestinian people have can be alleviated if their leaders will do what is possible against the terror," he added.