TEL AVIV, Oct 18: Israel seized parts of three Palestinian-ruled cities on Thursday in retaliation for the assassination of Tourism Minister Reehavam Zeevi and in the gunbattles that ensued, three Palestinians, including a 10-year-old schoolgirl, were killed.

Hours later, a car explosion near the West Bank town of Bethlehem killed three more Palestinians, including Atef Abayat, a hardliner on Israel’s most-wanted list.

The Israeli government gave an ultimatum to Palestinian President Yasser Arafat to “hand over” Zeevi’s assassins or face harsh retribution.

The latest bloodshed threatened a US-led peace effort that could be crucial to enlisting Arab support for an offensive against Afghanistan.

The violence unfolded as Israelis observed a day of mourning for the ultranationalist minister.

“Avenge the way Gandhi would avenge you,” Zeevi’s son Yiftah, using his father’s nickname, urged Prime Minis-ter Ariel Sharon at a politically and emotionally charged funeral.

The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) claimed responsibility for his killing, saying it was to avenge Israel’s assassination of its leader, Abu Ali Mustafa, in August.

Wednesday’s killing was the first assassination of an elected Israeli official claimed by a Palestinian group.

Drawing a parallel with the US-led air strikes on Afghanistan, Israel vowed to treat Arafat’s Palestinian Authority as a “leadership that supports terror” if he did not hand over Zeevi’s assassins.

Palestinian police, acting on Arafat’s orders, arrested five members of the PFLP after it claimed responsibility for gunning down Zeevi, a far-right politician, at a hotel in occupied Al Quds on Wednesday.

But Palestinian officials, who had previously refused to turn over hardliners wanted by Israel, showed no signs of bowing to the latest Israeli demands despite the veiled threats of a military onslaught.

In an escalating exchange of bitter accusations, Arafat aide Nabil Abu Rdainah said Israel had a plan to assassinate the Palestinian leader. He promised to give details later.

A government spokesman declined comment, except to say: “Israel is not involved in an overall war with the Palestinian Authority”. Israel has often denied such accusations.—Reuters