Commission on Israeli-Palestinian violence to visit Mideast

Annan, left, met with Mitchell on Monday at U.N. headquarters to discuss an international fact-finding commission

Israel, Palestinians pledge support, chairman says

In this story: More fighting in region Looking for causes, possible solutions Palestinian objections U.N. official criticizes Israel Barak faces crucial Tuesday vote RELATED STORIES, SITES

CNN White House Correspondent Kelly Wallace and CNN Correspondent Fionnuala Sweeney contributed to this report.

NEW YORK (CNN) -- Former U.S. Sen. George Mitchell said Monday the fact-finding committee he heads on Israeli-Palestinian fighting will go to the Middle East "in the near future" and complete a report on what triggered the clashes by March 2001.

Mitchell declined, however, to name a date for the trip.

After a morning meeting with U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan, Mitchell told reporters he had met with representatives from both sides in the conflict, who "assured us of their full support for the committee."

"We emphasized our strong belief that the violence between Israelis and Palestinians must be brought to an end," Mitchell added.

Roughly 300 people, the vast majority of them Palestinians, have been killed in more than eight weeks of violence.

GALLERY Tears, tension and diplomacy (November 27)    VIDEO CNN's Jerrold Kessel reports on the talks and funerals (November 27) Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media) Arafat's Fatah party calls for more violence as Ramadan starts. CNN's Tom Mintier reports (November 27) Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media) CNN's Kelly Wallace reports an international committee has met to discuss the causes of the violence in the Mideast (November 27) Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media)   MESSAGE BOARD Mideast peace

Mitchell, a former Democratic Senate majority leader from Maine, pledged to work closely with both parties "to provide an independent assessment of the recent events involving violence with the goal of preventing their occurrence."

The fact-finding committee was agreed to by Israel and the Palestinians at an October summit in Egypt. Besides Mitchell, the committee includes former Sen. Warren Rudman, former Turkish President Suleyman Demirel, former NATO chief Javier Solana and Norwegian Foreign Minister Thorbjoern Jagland.

Although the members were chosen by the United States and would seek advice from many quarters, Mitchell said the committee would strive to provide an independent assessment of the situation. "If we're to serve a useful purpose, we must be independent," he said.

The formation of the commission comes as Israeli-Palestinian fighting continued Monday in Gilo, a Jerusalem neighborhood. Overnight, Israeli soldiers shot and killed five Palestinians near the West Bank town of Kalkilyah, according to Israel Defense Forces. An IDF official tells CNN the Palestinians were killed as they tried to leave a Palestinian area after firing on an Israeli car.

The official said those killed were members of Palestinian Authority President Yasser Arafat's Fatah military wing.

A senior aide to Arafat tells CNN he is furious about the killings, insisting that the Palestinians -- two of whom he said were teenagers -- were unarmed civilians. The aide described the killings as unprovoked and a "massacre."

Two other Palestinians were injured in the clash, according to the aide.

In honor of the beginning of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, Israel relaxed social and economic restrictions on Palestinians living in Gaza.

Sunday, the Hezbollah militia detonated a roadside bomb in a disputed area along the Israeli-Lebanese border, killing an Israeli soldier and injuring two others. Hezbollah later claimed responsibility for the attack.

In October, Arafat and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak attended an emergency summit in Sharm el-Sheik, Egypt, where they agreed to the formation of the international fact-finding commission to investigate the causes of and possible solutions to the violence.

"It's a lot of excellent, well-meaning people who have an impossible job to do," U.S. Institute of Peace analyst Jon Alterman told CNN. "There's no way they can make both sides happy when they're done with their investigation and filing their report."

But other analysts say the commission can help build confidence among leaders in the turbulent region.

"The most important part of the commission is that you have a process that is credible," University of Maryland professor Shibley Telhami told CNN. "The Palestinians, in particular, feel that the U.S. has jumped to the conclusion of blaming them first and they have wanted to investigate that."

A Palestinian man is treated by an Israeli soldier after being injured by a rock on a bypass road outside Bethlehem on Sunday

Indeed, Arafat initially objected to Israel's insistence that the commission be led by a U.S. representative. He said he preferred that the group be headed by a U.N. diplomat.

Currently there is no official timetable for the commission to complete its investigation into what started the fighting and what can be done to end it. Mitchell, who successfully helped to negotiate peace in Northern Ireland, tells CNN possible next steps include separate meetings with Israeli and Palestinian representatives, talks that could occur as soon as this week.

U.N. official criticizes Israel

In a report released Monday, U.N. human rights chief Mary Robinson detailed recommendations based on her visit earlier this month to the West Bank and Gaza.

Robinson's report urged establishment of an international monitoring body, saying she was "shocked and dismayed and even devastated" at the plight of Palestinians confronting Israeli forces in the occupied territories.

In addition, Robinson said countries that are part of the Geneva Convention on war should "assume their responsibility" regarding the conduct of forces in the occupied territories.

Barak faces crucial Tuesday vote

Meanwhile, Barak's Mideast policies continue to put his political position at risk. The prime minister faces a crucial vote scheduled for Tuesday in Israel's parliament, the Knesset. The vote is the first reading of a bill calling for the Knesset to be dissolved and for new elections.

There is some question whether Barak's shaky political coalition will garner the 61 votes needed to defeat the bill.

Israeli soldiers kill 5 Palestinians
November 26, 2000
Mideast violence kills 4 more Palestinians
November 25, 2000
Arafat pursues diplomacy in Jordan
November 24, 2000
Funerals, fighting contrast with Mideast efforts at peace
November 25, 2000
Arafat, Barak agree to resume low-level security cooperation
November 24, 2000

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