By Abdel-Raouf Arnaout
JERUSALEM
The Israeli government is mulling a proposal to expel senior Hamas members based in the West Bank to the Gaza Strip against the background of the presumed abduction of three teenage Jewish settlers in the West Bank.
The Israeli radio quoted political sources as saying that the security cabinet will discuss the proposal during its Monday meeting.
Israeli forces have detained scores of Palestinians, including former ministers and lawmakers from Hamas, during raids on their West Bank homes.
Tension has been running high in the Palestinian territories since three teenage Jewish settlers went missing late Thursday in the southern West Bank.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has accused Hamas of abducting the trio, a claim Hamas has since dismissed as "stupid."
No Palestinian group has claimed responsibility for the alleged kidnapping thus far.
www.aa.com.tr/en
