Military

DATE=10/19/2000

TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT

TITLE=Israel-Palestinians (L-update)

NUMBER=2-268185

BYLINE=Sonja Pace

DATELINE=Jerusalem

INTERNET=YES

CONTENT=

VOICED AT:

/// Eds. Pls update and change intro as new details and casualty figures warrant. This updates previous CR-2-168161 ///

INTRO: A serious gun battle pitting Palestinians against Jewish settlers and Israeli security forces raged for hours Thursday near the West Bank town of Nablus. One Palestinian and one Israeli were killed. There were also a number of injured on both sides. VOA's Sonja Pace reports from Jerusalem, the incident is seen as a serious threat to efforts to restore calm after three weeks of bloody confrontations.

TEXT: A self-imposed 48-hour deadline is running out for Israelis and Palestinians to halt three weeks of violence. More than 100 people have died in the clashes so far, almost all of them Palestinian. On Tuesday both sides agreed to a U-S brokered commitment to end the violence. But, Thursday's incident outside of Nablus could seriously undermine that agreement.

The gun battle erupted during an outing by group of Jewish settlers to a hill overlooking Joseph's Tomb, a holy site in the Palestinian town of Nablus. The settlers were under army escort. They say Palestinian gunmen opened fire first. The Palestinians say the settlers provoked the incident by opening fire on Palestinian farmers in nearby olive groves.

Israeli security forces were called in. Army gun-ships hovered overhead firing machine guns and helicopters eventually rescued the stranded settlers.

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak described the incident as "grave" and a "gross violation by the Palestinian Authority."

The Nablus shooting follows an overall drop in tension and violence in the past few days. In accordance with commitments worked out on Tuesday in Sharm al-Sheik, Israel and the Palestinian Authority have taken some concrete measures to try to ease tension and halt confrontations.

Israel has opened a border crossing with the Gaza Strip and has allowed Gaza airport to be reopened. Israeli forces have also pulled back from some positions and eased restrictions on travel within Palestinian areas. The Palestinian Authority has re-arrested some of the Islamic militants it released during the height of the violence. (Signed)

NEB/sp/PT

NEB/