Jerusalem: The Palestinian Authority (PA) has called the assassination of Hamas leader Abdel Aziz Rantisi a "direct result" of US' partisan attitude, amid Israel re-assertion that it will continue with its policy of targeted assassinations.

Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qureia accused the US for the development, saying, "The Palestinian cabinet considers this terrorist Israeli campaign as a direct result of American encouragement and the complete bias of the American administration towards the Israeli Government," he said.

Palestinian Foreign Minister Nabil Sha'ath also spoke in the same vein, blaming the forgiving American attitude for Israeli decision to carry out the assassination.

"I completely condemn this Israeli crime of cold blooded killing in front of the whole world, while America gives it bits of our land and our refugees' rights. The mercy of God upon Rantisi... Israel commits crimes and is rewarded by the American President. When it commits State terrorism, it gets promises."

The high profile woman Palestinian lawmaker, Hanan Ashrawi, too charged the US for not putting any curb on Israeli actions, warning that it could lead to a dangerous situation.

"Israel has been given a free hand by the United States to continue its policy of destruction, of siege, of assassination," she said.

"Right now what is happening is very dangerous. You are closing off all options. You are saying to the Palestinians you have no political recourse, no recourse to the law, no justice anywhere," she added.

Israel on the other hand reiterated its resolve to carry on with the policy of targeted assassinations against terror heads, calling it a strike against "mastermind of terrorism".

Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Jonathan Peled said, "Israel... today struck a mastermind of terrorism, with blood on his hands." Cabinet Minister Gideon Ezra, asserting the need to continue with this policy said, "We have to continue this war, every time and every place. And this story with Rantisi shows how the Army can get everywhere. We have to continue, we have no other choice".

Opposition leader and senior statesman, Shimon Peres, stopped short of expressing support for the assassination saying, "Whoever deals in death pays the price."

"This is not a type of operation we are enthusiastic to carry out, we do it because we have no choice. We must fight terror with all our strength but we must also tell the Palestinians that terror is also their enemy, not only ours," he said.

The left wing Yahad party however questioned the timing of the decision calling it an attempt to counter the Opposition to the disengagement plan within the Likud party.