A、more Israeli troops were sent to combat the Arab militants B、Israel closed both the Gaza Strip and West Bank C、thousands of Ar

Israel sent in troop reinforcements to combat militants who have killed 13 Israelis this month, the highest monthly toll in nearly four years.
   An official said Prime Minister Yitzhak Rubin, who ordered an indefinite closure of the West Bank from yesterday, had also decided to ease open-fire regulations for soldiers. The Gaza Strip has been closed since Sunday.
   Rabin, announcing the new security measures on television on Tuesday night, said he aimed to make Israelis feel more secure.
   Rabin convened an emergency session of his inner security cabinet after two Arabs shot dead two Israeli traffic policemen on Tuesday as they sat in their patrol car in the town of Hadera, 50 kilometres north of Tel Aviv.
   The closure of the West Bank and Gaza Strip will stop up to 100,000 Arab day laborers from working inside Israel. Their wages are vital to the economy of the territories, where Palestinians have been in revolt against Israeli occupation for five years.    Palestinian leaders condemned the closure.
   Rubin earlier told parliament’s foreign affairs and defence committee that security forces had been authorized to open fire on anyone bearing arms even if he did not threaten to shoot.
   Previous regulations allowed a soldier to shoot only if he was in immediate danger of his life.
   Arab-Israeli bloodshed has increased since Rubin expelled 415 Palestinians to smith Lebanon in December after Palestinians killed five Israeli soldiers.