Acting Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert today vowed to use "an iron fist" against acts of terror and said no restrictions would be placed on security forces.
He spoke after a rash of shooting and stabbing attacks that killed Israeli civilian and injured five. In the latest attack, an Israeli man was stabbed in the neck at an Israeli factory in northern Jerusalem.
Militants in Palestinian-controlled Gaza have also been firing home-made rockets at southern Israel, unsettling residents but causing few injuries.
"We will use an iron first against any attempt to renew terror activity anywhere," Mr Olmert said in Jerusalem. "There are no restraints on security forces to use any means necessary to stop terror attacks."
Yesterday, at a campaign stop ahead of March 28th Israeli elections, Mr Olmert said Israel would pursue all opportunities for peace, but would relentlessly fight Palestinian terrorism.
"No one who fires off a Qassam rocket will have a moment's rest, because we shall seek him out everywhere, track him everywhere, reach him and make sure he is not able to do it," Mr Olmert said.
In recent weeks, Israel has stepped up arrest raids in the West Bank and carried out killings of Gaza militants it says were involved in planning or carrying out attacks. But it denied involvement in the car blast yesterday in Gaza City that killed Islamic Jihad's top military commander in Gaza.
Mr Olmert also said Israel was intensifying its campaign against the al-Qaeda terror network. "There are, of course, attempts by terror elements, including international ones, to extend their reach in areas adjacent to us."
"We are systematically intensifying our war . . . all restraints have been lifted on security forces where preventing and thwarting (terror) is concerned."
Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas admitted in an interview that al-Qaeda had infiltrated the Gaza Strip and West Bank.
Mr Abbas said he had not expected the group would succeed in setting up operations in the Palestinian areas. "The infiltration of al-Qaeda can ruin the whole region," he said.