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Israeli, Palestinian Officials Meet at Erez Checkpoint
Senior officials of Israel and the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) met Thursday evening to try to bring calm to the Palestinian territories, Israel Radio reported.
Israeli Deputy Defense Minister Ephraim Sneh and Coordinator for the Territories Maj-Gen Ya'acov Orr met with PNA Minister of Civil Affairs Jamil Tarifi and PNA Secretary-General Tayeb Abdel-Rahim.
The meeting, which was held at the Erez Checkpoint between Israel and the Gaza Strip, was the first after the tension mounted following Israeli missile attacks on the Gaza Strip Monday evening and a car bomb explosion Wednesday evening in the northern Israeli town of Hedera.
Few details of the meeting have been revealed. But Israeli sources said the officials discussed ways of ending the nearly two months of clashes between Israeli troops and the Palestinians, which have left more than 260 people dead, most of them Palestinians, and thousands of others wounded.
The violence was still raging on Thursday throughout the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.
Gunbattles occurred at Rachel's Tomb in the West Bank town of Bethlehem and at the liaison office between the two sides near Jericho. No casualties were reported.
There was also exchange of fires in Gilo and Beit Jala south of Jerusalem in the evening, damaging at least four apartments in Gilo, according to Israeli sources.
A bomb exploded near a bus on the Tunnel Road in southern Jerusalem Thursday evening, slightly injuring an Israeli driver.
In the Gaza Strip, a shoot-out happened between Israeli troops and Palestinian gunmen at the Erez Checkpoint, killing a Palestinian and wounding two Israeli soldiers. One of the soldiers died of wounds later.
The liaison office at the Gush Katif Jewish settlement in the central Gaza Strip was attacked in a bomb explosion, killing an Israeli army officer and wounding several soldiers.
The Israel Defense Forces then decided to close the liaison offices in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
Political analysts maintain that security cooperation is the key to curbing the circle of violence and Thursday's meeting may be a positive step of the Palestinians and Israelis in this direction.
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