China Monday strongly condemned the violent attacks in Jerusalem and Haifa, saying it was worried about the possible escalation of the Israel-Palestine conflict as a result of the explosions.

Extending condolences and greetings to the injured and the families of those who died, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Zhang Qiyue said China urged parties concerned to seek peaceful means to resolve all disputes.

"We hope all parties concerned take effective measures to end all violence, to co-operate with the international community and to seek peaceful means to resolve disputes,'' said Zhang.

Moustapha Saphariny, ambassador of Palestine to China told China Daily Monday that his government has always opposed to any forms of terrorism.

"We hope that the international community would not pursue a double standard on terrorism," said Saphariny.

The ambassador said that it is worthwhile to think about the roots of such reactions by Palestinian people.

Also Monday, Itzhak Shelef, ambassador of Israel to China, said the violent attacks have severely damaged the chances of restarting the peace process, and he urged the Palestine side to punish those responsible.

"We expect serious, concrete and visible actions against terrorism taken by Palestine leader Yasser Arafat," said Shelef.

Gong Shaopeng, a Chinese expert on the Middle East question from the Foreign Affairs College, said that the best way to handle the issue is to sit down and hold frank talks.

"It would be a wise choice for both sides to have high-level officials talks to discuss a solution. Yet this will be hard to realize,'' said Gong.

Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon returned to Israel from Washington Monday to decide how to respond to Palestinian suicide attacks that killed at least 25 people and wounded about 200.

Sharon began talks at Ben Gurion airport with his foreign and defence ministers and security chiefs before a full cabinet meeting scheduled later on Monday in Jerusalem. Aides said he would address the nation on television after his consultations.

US Secretary of State Colin Powell said Washington was not about to tell Sharon what to do but that both sides must be aware of the consequences of any action that Israel takes.

Palestinian security forces rounded up militants across the West Bank and Gaza Strip after heavy pressure from US President George W. Bush and Israel to arrest those responsible for the attacks, which pushed 14 months of Israeli-Palestinian violence into a new phase.

Palestinian security forces were also out in large numbers after President Yasser Arafat imposed a state of emergency in the West Bank and Gaza.

Israeli soldiers shot dead a Palestinian near the West Bank town of Jenin

Monday. The army said troops thought the man was trying to place a bomb but found none on him. Palestinian officials said he was a farmer going to work.

The army also said earlier troops had killed four Palestinian gunmen near the West Bank city of Jenin on Sunday in an exchange of fire.

The militant Islamic movement Hamas, which opposes Israel's existence, said it carried out the weekend attacks to avenge Israel's killing of its top military leader in the West Bank in a missile strike last month.

US President Bush "made clear what he demands of Chairman Arafat and the Palestinian Authority: the immediate arrests of those responsible for these heinous acts and decisive action against the organizations like Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad that support them,'' US National Security Council spokesman Sean McCormack said after Bush's meeting with Sharon.

Palestinian security sources said more than 90 militants from Hamas and Islamic Jihad had been arrested since late on Saturday in what appeared to be the Authority's largest sweep since the Hamas bombings in 1996.

Hamas official Ismail Abu Shannab and Ismail Haniyah, the director of Hamas spiritual leader Sheikh Ahmed Yassin's office, were among those detained, Palestinian security sources said.

(China Daily December 4, 2001)