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Killing prompts Israel to cancel meeting
JERUSALEM -- The killing of an Israeli settler has prompted Israel to cancel a Mideast peace meeting with Palestinians and seal off Gaza. The body, confirmed by Israel Defense Forces as farmer Roni Tsalah, was found early on Monday in an onion field at his settlement. In response to the death, a meeting between Israeli Foreign Minister Shlomo Ben-Ami and Palestinian Parliament Speaker Ahmed Qureia was called off, officials from both sides said. No new meeting had been scheduled. CNN's Matthew Chance said it was possible that lower level meetings on security operations between the two sides may still proceed on Monday. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the killing.
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak condemned the killing. "The prime minister noted that it is a serious blow to the peace process and he assessed that Tsalah was a victim of base murderers," Barak's office quoted him as saying. Barak, speaking in an interview with the Qatar-based TV station Al Jazeera, urged Palestinian Authority President Yasser Arafat to do more to stop the violence. Later, witnesses said Jewish settlers in Gaza set fire to Palestinian homes, fields and greenhouses in retaliation for the killing of Tsalah. Also on Monday, Israel closed the Palestinian airport in Gaza and the border crossing into Egypt. All Palestinian workers have been banned from entering Israel, the army said. The closure came only four days after Israel had eased the restrictions as part of an attempt to reduce tensions. Tsalah came from the settlement of Kfar Yam, which is within the larger settlement block of Gush Khatif in Gaza. His car, carrying a locating transmitter, was tracked to the Palestinian city of Khan Yunis where local residents said it was set on fire. Continued fightingMeanwhile, 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. local time, 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. Palestinian amnestyOn Monday, the Palestinian justice minister announced that suspected Palestinian collaborators with Israel who surrender to security forces in the next 45 days will not be prosecuted. The minister, Freih Abu Medein, also said the Palestinian Authority would pay a monthly stipend to the families of two convicted collaborators executed over the weekend. "We are not going to punish people if they stop their activity with Israel," Abu Medein told The Associated Press in an interview in his Gaza City office. The executions prompted an international outcry, and Abu Medein's announcement appeared to be an attempt to soften the criticism. Clinton breakthrough prospects fadingThe possibility of a breakthrough agreement before U.S. President Bill Clinton leaves office is fading, negotiators said. "I don't expect any breakthrough between now and January 20, or for that matter February 6," said Saeb Erakat, the chief Palestinian negotiator, in an interview with CNN. "But both sides have realized that the most important thing for both of them is ... this peace process must continue. And it should not collapse." January 20 is the date Clinton leaves office, and Barak faces an election on February 6. The Palestinians and Israelis appear to be working for 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. Disputing some reports, Erakat said there were no plans for Palestinian Authority President Yasser Arafat and former Israeli Prime Minister Shimon Peres to meet again following face-to-face discussions on Saturday. Peres and Arafat met on Saturday in Gaza City, but wide gaps remain on the questions of Palestinian refugees, land and the status of Jerusalem, sources said. "I think it's very, very doubtful there would be any kind of final status agreement in the time remaining," Samuel Berger, Clinton's national security adviser, said on CNN's "Late Edition." "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." In the Israeli election Barak is facing a strong challenge from right-wing leader Ariel Sharon, who has a 20-point lead, according to some Israeli public opinion polls. Sharon opposes what he says are far-reaching territorial concessions being considered by Barak. Meanwhile, Erakat praised Clinton for his efforts to secure a peace deal in the Middle East. "We have left no stone unturned, and we have come a long way," Erakat said. "And we, as Palestinians, appreciate very much the efforts that are exerted and were exerted by President Clinton." Clinton's peace proposals 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 that 339 of them were Palestinians, and the Israel Defense Forces says that 44 were Israeli Jews and 13 Israeli Arabs. Both sides blame each other for the fighting. 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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Recent acts of violence in the Middle East:
