Israeli Troops Kill Two Palestinians in West Bank
08 October 2006
Palestinian witnesses say Israeli troops have killed a Palestinian militant and a civilian in separate incidents near the West Bank town of Nablus.
Israeli military officials say the militant was killed after gunmen attacked an Israeli military unit conducting searches early Sunday in the Balata refugee camp.
Witnesses say the slain militant was a member of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, an armed faction linked to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah party. At least two other militants were reported wounded in the attack.
Later, Palestinian medical officials said Israeli soldiers shot and killed a Palestinian civilian who tried to bypass a military checkpoint near Nablus.
In a separate development, Israeli and Palestinian sources say aides to Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian President Abbas have met to plan the first official summit between the two leaders.
No date for the summit has been announced.
Mr. Olmert and Mr. Abbas met informally in June, shortly before Palestinian gunmen captured an Israeli soldier in a cross-border raid that sparked an Israeli offensive in Gaza. The offensive was aimed at finding the soldier and stopping rocket attacks by Palestinian militants into Israel.
U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice met with top Israeli officials last week on her Middle East tour and got Israel to agree to ease some restrictions on the Palestinians.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP and Reuters.
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