Israel suspends contacts with palestinians (AP) Updated: 2005-10-17 19:30
Israel suspended contacts with the Palestinian Authority
on Monday and slapped tough travel restrictions on the West Bank after
Palestinian gunmen killed three young Israelis and wounded five in two drive-by
shootings near Jewish settlements.
An Israeli border
police guards a group of Palestinians, detained as their identity cards
are being checked in the West Bank city of Hebron, following a shooting
attack Sunday Oct. 16, 2005. Palestinian gunmen in a speeding car opened
fire at a crowded bus stop in a West Bank intersection north of Hebron on
Sunday, killing three Israelis and wounding four others in the deadliest
attack on Israelis in more than three months, Israeli officials said.
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The attack near the Gush Etzion block of settlements on Sunday was the
deadliest since July. It followed Israeli intelligence warnings that Palestinian
militants, who claim they drove Israel out of Gaza by force, would now shift
their focus to the West Bank. Israel pulled out of Gaza in September in a
unilateral move.
The Al Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades, a militant group with ties to the ruling Fatah
party, claimed responsibility. However, security officials said they believed
the Islamic militant group Hamas might have been involved.
The attacks renew international pressure on Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas,
who meets with President Bush later this week, to crack down on militants,
something he's been reluctant to do. Involvement of gunmen with ties to Fatah in
Sunday's attacks would underscore his failure to impose control.
Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat called the shootings "unfortunate" and
accused the gunmen of trying to sabotage efforts to revive peace talks. He urged
Israel to reconsider the travel restrictions and suspension of contacts, saying
"angry messages, collective punishment and violence will just add to the
complexities."
Erekat said Israeli negotiators failed to show up for a
meeting Sunday evening on the reopening of the Rafah terminal on the Gaza-Egypt
border. The opening of the crossing is crucial for the economic recovery of
Gaza.
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