Former US senator George Mitchell, is to head a US-nominated international fact-finding panel to investigate ongoing Middle East violence. Mr Mitchell, who served as mediator in Northern Ireland peace talks, will preside over the five-strong panel that Israel and the Palestinians agreed to at last month's emergency Sharm el-Sheikh summit, the White House said in a statement. The other panel members are former US senator Warren Rudman; Turkish former president Suleyman Demirel; European Union foreign and security policy chief Javier Solana; and Norwegian Foreign Minister Thorbjorn Jagland.
The members, described as representing "the best tradition in public service both at home and abroad" are charged with working with Israel and the Palestinians to probe the causes of the current violence that has wracked the region, killing more than 180 people over the past six weeks. The overwhelming majority of those killed have been Palestinians. The Palestinians say the violence began on September 28 following a controversial high-profile visit to a holy Muslim site in Jerusalem by Israeli opposition leader, Ariel Sharon.
Meanwhile, it is reported a 24-year-old Palestinian man has been shot dead in clashes with Israeli soldiers near a Jewish shrine in the West Bank town of Bethlehem. The shooting happened as Israel announced the number of violent incidents in the West Bank and Gaza Strip had fallen by up to 40% since the latest truce brokered five days ago.
