The Palestinian President, Yasser Arafat, said that he was ready to begin peace talks to end the violence in the Middle East. Mr Arafat accused Israel of refusing to take part, however.
He was speaking in Beijing after a meeting Li Peng, Chairman of the National People's Congress, China's parliament. Mr Arafat, who is in China to ask its leaders to play a more active role in the Middle East peace process, is due to meet President Jiang Zemin later today.
Earlier, two Palestinians were killed in a gun battle with Israeli troops in the self-ruled area of the West Bank City of Hebron. Israeli forces entered the autonomous district last night.
The incursion was described as a "limited operation" to destroy two Palestinian homes. Israel said that snipers had used the homes to fire on a Jewish enclave. The incursion took place after Palestinian gunmen shot and wounded two young Israeli brothers.
King Abdullah of Jordan has appealed to both Israel and the Palestinians to end their conflict. He said that it is damaging the entire Middle East region.
He expressed concern at the rising level of violence and said that it was of paramount importance to get both sides back to the negotiating table. In an interview, he said the only solution was to bring in international monitors. He accepted, however, that how to do so was also a contentious issue.
