JERUSALEM - Eliminating the threat of “Palestinian” terrorism facing the Jews of the Gaza Strip will only make it more difficult for the government of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon to forcibly uproot them this summer, a senior minister said Monday.

“As absurd as it may sound, quiet in [southern Gaza’s Katif Bloc, where most Gaza Jews live] will make it harder to carry out the evacuation,” Minister of Internal Security Gideon Ezra said in a live interview on Israel Radio.

On Sunday, Defense Minister Sha’ul Mofaz told the cabinet that while he had instructed the army to increase the feeling of safety among Gaza’s Jews, orders were also given to severely limit anti-terror operations against the “Palestinians.”

That decision, Mofaz said, was made in light of PA leader Mahmoud Abbas’s deployment of troops in Gaza in an effort to temporarily halt attacks on Israelis.

In accordance with Mofaz’s directives, IDF Chief of Staff Moshe Ya’alon issued new open-fire regulations for the Gaza Strip Tuesday.

Soldiers stationed in Gaza will now be allowed to open fire on armed Palestinian Arabs only if they are certain the latter are preparing to shoot at them or have already done so.

Ynet reported that troops based in northern Gaza have already expressed concern that they are apparently permitted to defend themselves only after being wounded.

Israel’s approach of trusting the safety of Gaza’s Jews to the goodwill of the Palestinian Authority began to show major cracks this week.

Several days of relative quiet notwithstanding, the Jewish residents of southern Gaza were subjected to heavy mortar and rocket fire.

Some nine mortar shells were fired at the Katif Bloc of Jewish communities Monday. At least another five mortars and one Kassam rocket were deployed against the Israeli civilians Tuesday.

Two Israelis were treated for hysteria, and two homes and several cars were damaged.

The Arabs claim the renewed aggression is in response to the killing of a 10-year-old Arab girl by IDF gunfire Monday.

But an IDF investigation into the incident revealed celebratory Arab gunfire had accidentally killed the girl, and that Israeli soldiers in the area had not used their weapons.

Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom warned last week that Abbas’s hudna , or temporary terrorist truce, was “a ticking bomb which will blow up” in Israel’s face, as it allows the terrorist infrastructure to remain intact and heavily armed. (Copyright 2002-2004 Jerusalem Newswire. 02/01/05)