An Israeli and a Palestinian have died in clashes close to the West Bank town of Nablus, despite a cease-fire agreed earlier this week. The Israeli Prime Minister, Ehud Barak, accused Palestinians of violating the peace accord. Israel's acting Foreign Minister described efforts to implement the agreement by the Palestinians as dubious, while a Palestinian negotiator said that Israel should first disarm what he called its terrorist Jewish settlers and undercover forces. The UN Commission on Human Rights has adopted a resolution, condemning Israel for war crimes and crimes against humanity in the occupied Palestinian territories.
Earlier, Israel was reported to have lifted its blockade of the Palestinian International Airport in the Gaza Strip. Meanwhile, there has been an explosion at the Palestinian security headquarters in Bethlehem. Israel Radio described the blast as powerful. It has been reported that gas canisters, not a bomb, caused an explosion that damaged a Palestinian security headquarters in Bethlehem. It is not known if there were any casualties.
