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Israelis-Palestinians set for more talks Tuesday despite a violent Monday
JERUSALEM -- Israeli Foreign Minister Shlomo Ben-Ami and Palestinian Parliament Speaker Ahmed Qureia plan to hold talks on Tuesday, a day after Israel postponed a meeting between the men after a Jewish settler was killed. The men are discussing how to obtain a peace settlement within a framework put forth by U.S. President Bill Clinton, who leaves office January 20. However, neither side expects a breakthrough agreement before then or even before February 6 when Israel Prime Minister Ehud Barak faces an election. 'The process must continue'
Both sides, however, "have realized that ... this peace process must continue. And it should not collapse," said Saeb Erakat, the chief Palestinian negotiator, in an interview with CNN. Samuel Berger, Clinton's national security adviser, told CNN's "Late Edition": "I think it's very, very doubtful there would be any kind of final status agreement in the time remaining" before Clinton departs office. "But I do think we should use all of the momentum that exists now to try to bring the parties as close together as possible." The Palestinians and Israelis appear to be working toward a joint document listing points of agreement and points of contention, which could be used as a basis for future talks under the incoming administration of U.S. President-elect George W. Bush. On Saturday, Palestinian Authority President Yasser Arafat met in Gaza City with former Israeli Prime Minister Shimon Peres. But wide gaps remain on the questions of Palestinian refugees, land and the status of Jerusalem, sources said. Disputing some reports, Erakat said there were no plans for another face-to-face discussion between Arafat and Peres. Clinton's peace proposal would allow the Palestinians to form a state in all of Gaza and almost all of the West Bank, including Arab areas and key Christian and Muslim holy sites in Jerusalem. More than three months after the Israeli-Palestinian violence began, at least 394 people have been killed. The Palestine Red Crescent Society says 339 of them were Palestinians, and the Israel Defense Forces says 44 were Israeli Jews and 13 Israeli Arabs. Both sides blame each other for the fighting. Settler killedTuesday's meeting comes after tensions rose on Monday, following the killing of a Jewish settler by suspected Palestinian gunmen. Roni Tsalah, a farmer, was found dead early Monday in an onion field near Gaza's Kfar Yam settlement where he had lived, located inside the larger settlement block of Gush Khatif. Barak condemned the killing, calling it a "terrible, terrible blow to peace." He also urged Palestinian Authority President Yasser Arafat to do more to stop the violence during an interview with the Qatar-based TV station Al Jazeera. Palestinian Cabinet minister Nabil Sha'ath, for his part, called the killings, "unfortunate. But occupation is the reason for killing, and occupation is apparently going to be the cause of killing the peace process." In addition to canceling Monday's peace talks, Israel's forces sealed off Gaza, closed Gaza's international airport and deployed tanks in the occupied West Bank. Palestinian workers were banned from entering Israel, the Israeli army said. The closure came only four days after Israel had eased the restrictions in an attempt to ease tensions. Enraged by Tsalah's killing, fellow settlers attacked Palestinians on Monday, burned their crops and buildings, and ripped out irrigation pipes. Violence continuesMeanwhile, the violence continued. The Palestine Red Crescent Society confirmed to CNN that one Palestinian was killed and nine others were wounded in a clash with Israel Defense Forces just outside the West Bank city of Nablus on Monday. An Israeli army spokesman said troops had been fired on from within the nearby village of Salem. The army imposed a curfew between 2 p.m. and 6 p.m., but a group of some 300 Palestinians confronted the soldiers several hours later, the army spokesman said, and began throwing stones at them. The soldiers returned fire using tear gas and rubber-coated steel bullets. The Palestine Red Crescent Society said Madi Ishtiya, 25, was killed by live ammunition with a shot to the heart. The Israeli army said it was unaware of any use of live ammunition. Nine other Palestinians were injured in the skirmish. CNN Correspondent Matthew Chance, The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report. RELATED STORIES: Hopes fade for Mideast agreement before Clinton leaves White House RELATED SITES: Miftah : The Palestinian Initiative for the Promotion of Global Dialogue and Democracy | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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