It is reported that three Israelis and two Palestinians have been killed in the latest violence in the West Bank and Gaza. Israel Radio reports that the three Israelis were shot by Palestinian gunmen near a Jewish settlement in the West Bank. Eight others were injured. In The Gaza Strip, Israeli troops killed two Palestinian teenagers. An 18-year-old was hit in the back by a bullet and a 17-year-old died from a bullet in the chest.
The Palestinian President, Yasser Arafat, has urged Islamic leaders meeting in the Gulf state of Qatar to make emergency aid available. The Palestinian economy has suffered as a result of border controls imposed by the Israelis. The Israeli Prime Minister, Ehud Barak, has had talks on the Middle East crisis with President Clinton in Washington. The meeting, which lasted about two and a half hours, was aimed at ending the violence between Israelis and Palestinians.
The United Nations Human Rights Commissioner, Mary Robinson, is due to meet Yasser Arafat on Wednesday. Mrs Robinson escaped unhurt when a convoy in which she was travelling was fired on in the West Bank yesterday. It is not yet clear who was behind the attack.
