Top Israeli officers warn of WBank "volcanic eruption"

JERUSALEM (AFP) - Presure mounted on the Israeli government to loosen its grip on the West Bank after senior army officers warned their new commander the occupied cities are a powder keg.

Israel reoccupied seven of the West Bank's eight major urban centres three weeks ago, with only the isolated desert town of Jericho not retaken, although it remains under tight Israeli blockade.

Israeli public television said top army officers had pressed General Moshe Yahalon Wednesday for a partial withdrawal, saying weeks of curfews had left the occupied towns on the "verge of a volcanic eruption."

The hawkish new army boss, himself a former head of the central command which includes the West Bank, took office Tuesday, succeeding General Shaul Mofaz.

Mofaz said earlier this month that the reoccupation would continue for "a long period ... at least several months," echoing comments by hardline Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.

The Israeli daily Haaretz quoted a senior defence official as saying that Israel is planning to loosen its grip where the security threat is deemed to have dropped sufficiently, saying the army's presence is necessary but not sustainable in the long-term.