Israel rules out blanket truce for moment

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Thursday pressed Israeli and Palestinian leaders to expand a fledgling truce as a step towards reviving the moribund peace process and easing conditions for millions of Palestinians.

But while Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas joined her by calling for the ceasefire to be extended from the Gaza Strip to the far larger Palestinian territory of the West Bank, Israel has taken no immediate decision.

The influential security cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, will discuss the matter on Sunday after the Jewish sabbath, an official said.

Israeli authorities are deeply concerned that the six-day-old truce, violated by rocket fire from the Gaza Strip on Friday for the fourth time, is merely an opportunity for armed groups to regroup, rearm and plot further attacks.

At least one senior security official, quoted by public radio, made clear his opposition to extending the ceasefire to the West Bank.

He warned against what he called the risk of armed groups taking advantage of an end to Israeli military operations by preparing suicide bombings, far deadlier than rocket attacks, and more easily staged against Israel from the West Bank than Gaza. "For a ceasefire to be implemented in the West Bank, they must stop preparing for attacks," another defence official told AFP.