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Palestinians Kill Israeli In Hebron

Art Chimes, Voice of America
June 13, 2001

JERUSALEM -- There was violence in the volatile West Bank city of Hebron overnight, after two Israeli settlers were shot and one of them killed, apparently by Palestinian gunfire. The incidents followed the death of a Palestinian policeman in another West Bank City.

The latest violence in Hebron is the heaviest there at least since a U.S. brokered cease-fire went into force a month ago. It was triggered Thursday by a shooting attack on Jewish settlers. Israeli forces moved into a Palestinian-controlled area of the city, destroying an outpost of the elite Force 17. Israel's army says the troops withdrew immediately after the destruction was complete.

About 400 Jewish settlers live in central Hebron, making it one of the most volatile flashpoints in the West Bank. Some settlers rampaged through the town, trashing cars and shops, and setting fire to olive groves, according to Palestinian sources.

Elsewhere in the West Bank Thursday, Israeli tanks hit a police post in Nablus, killing a Palestinian officer, after three Jewish settlers were wounded in a drive-by shooting. A group claiming to be allied with Yasser Arafat's Fatah PLO faction claimed responsibility for the shooting, and released a videotape of the incident.

Outgoing U.S. ambassador to Israel Martin Indyk, in a speech, at Tel Aviv University Thursday, urged Israeli leaders to continue pursuing peace with Yasser Arafat, saying the alternative was militant groups such as Hamas and Hezbollah. He urged Israel not to attempt any unilateral moves, such as creating a new border with the Palestinians. If the peace process has failed so far, he said, it "does not mean it should be abandoned."

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, traveling in Italy, warned that Israel intends to respond immediately to Palestinian attacks. But he rejected the kind of large-scale action suggested by recent news reports. Mr. Sharon said Israel still hopes to arrive at a political settlement.

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