Pressure grows on Israel
Israel is coming under pressure from the West
and the Arab world to end the violence in the
West Bank and Gaza Strip, in which at least 33
people have died, the vast majority of them
Palestinians.
French President Jacques Chirac condemned
Israeli tactics as disproportionate, and
denounced the "irresponsible provocation" of a
visit last week by Israeli right-winger Ariel
Sharon to a site in Jerusalem sacred to both
Jews and Muslims.
US Secretary of State
Madeleine Albright,
following talks with Mr
Chirac, described Mr
Sharon's visit as
"counter-productive".
The violence, now in its fifth day, flared after
Mr Sharon's visit to the al-Aqsa mosque
compound. There have been at least three
further deaths on Monday.
Fresh clashes
Mrs Albright's
statement follows an
appeal by US President
Clinton to both the
Israeli and Palestinian
leaders to bring an end
to the violence. The
White House says Mr
Barak and Mr Arafat
have agreed to support
a US-led inquiry into
the violence once calm
had been restored.
But on Monday
violence was
continuing.
An Israeli was shot dead in his car near the
West Bank town of Bidiya - the first civilian
Israeli Jew to have been killed in the unrest.
Two Arab Israelis who were shot by police
during violent demonstrations inside Israel on
Sunday have died.
In Gaza City eight
people have been
wounded in an explosion
at a Palestinian
government compound
housing the national
security headquarters,
security sources said.
Palestinian security sources said the blast was
believed to have been caused by a rocket
which had been fired on the building by Israeli
forces the day before. They said several
people were examining the Lau missile when it
exploded.
And in the latest clashes between Palestinians
and Israeli troops, six people were injured in
the city of Hebron, witnesses said.
Two people were injured near the line between
the Palestinian and Israeli controlled sectors of
the city, where Israeli soldiers were firing
rubber bullets at stone-throwing
demonstrators.
Another four were wounded in clashes in
Bani-Naim to the south-east.
Blame and counter-blame
The Israeli Prime
Minister Ehud Barak,
who met senior
security officials late
on Sunday, has blamed
the Palestinian
Authority for the
ongoing violence. He
called on them to take
responsibility for
stopping the fighting
immediately.
But the Palestinians
say the Israelis are responsible for the
continuing clashes.
Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat has urged the
Israelis to "stop shooting our soldiers, our old
people, our youths, our women".
Mr Arafat has flown to Jordan for talks with
King Abdullah II.
Presidents Hosni Mubarak of Egypt and Bashar
al-Assad of Syria, meeting in Cairo, have called
for an urgent Arab summit to deal with the
violence, but no date was suggested.
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