U.S. envoys meet Arafat

JERUSALEM (CNN) -- Two U.S. peace envoys are meeting Palestinian president Yasser Arafat hours after getting a birds-eye view of the latest Middle East bloodshed.

Assistant Secretary of State William Burns and envoy Anthony Zinni were flying over Israel and the West Bank in a helicopter with Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon when news came through of a shooting by two Palestinians at Afula which killed two Israelis.

Sharon directed the helicopter over Afula, where the envoys saw police dealing with the aftermath of the attack.

Later, Zinni said the incident showed that "a cease-fire is what we need to get to something more comprehensive and lasting."

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The two U.S. envoys held talks with Sharon on the first full day of their mission. Secretary of State Colin Powell has said Zinni will stay in the region for as long as it takes to cement a cease-fire and put a U.S.-backed truce-to-talks plan into motion.

CNN's Mike Hanna said Zinni was currently looking at the situation through the eyes of the two sides.

He had yet to meet security officials, Hanna said, and it would be some time before the exact nature of Zinni's role became known and how effective it would be.

In the Afula attack Tuesday, two Palestinians armed with automatic rifles ran through the center of town, firing in all directions, before police cornered them and shot them dead. Two Israelis were killed and 14 wounded, four seriously.

Palestinian sources told CNN that both the gunmen were from the Jenin refugee camp. They were identified as Abdul Kareem Sirriyeh, a member of Islamic Jihad, and Mustafa Abu Naaseh from the Fatah Movement.

The Palestinian Authority cabinet issued a statement condemning the attack "and all operations targeting Israeli civilians."

The U.S. mediators are pressing the two sides to end the fighting which began in September 2000. Their immediate goal is to establish a cease-fire by implementing accords accepted by the two sides.

In May, CIA Director George Tenet worked out a cease-fire plan that required the Palestinians to stop attacks, arrest suspected militants, crack down on violent groups and confiscate weapons.

Israel was to stop operations in Palestinian territories, remove roadblocks and release prisoners not connected with attacks.

However, Israel demands seven violence-free days before other measures can begin.

CNN's Jerrold Kessel said there was little confidence in the region about the U.S. peace mission, but the U.S. was pinning its hopes on Arafat, urging him to tackle violence by Palestinian militants.