Two Palestinians Killed in Gaza

13/03/2004| IslamWeb

Israeli troops killed early Saturday two Palestinians near "Nahal Oz" crossing East of Gaza City, Palestinian security sources reported. According to Israeli sources, the two men approached about 100 meters of the border fence which separates Gaza Strip from the nearby Israeli farming village of Nahal Oz. In a statement faxed to The Associated Press in Gaza, the military wing of Hamas together with a smaller armed group said they sent the two fighters to the area and that they battled with soldiers before being shot dead. ** Sharon Ploy*** Israel wants US support for annexing major West Bank settlement clusters in return for evacuating Gaza unilaterally amid an impasse in peace talks with the Palestinians. Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon says his "disengagement plan" aims to defuse conflict. Palestinians say it would strip them of land they seek for a viable state under a US-backed "road map" peace plan that has been sidelined by violence. Senior US envoys held a second day of talks with aides to Sharon to pin down what he has in mind. Washington supports Israeli withdrawals from occupied territory but is keen not to see the road map for a negotiated peace eclipsed. The White House and State Department visitors also met Palestinian Negotiations Minister Saeb Erekat. Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom said after seeing the envoys yesterday that President George W Bush's administration appeared to be warming to Sharon's plan after considerable scepticism. "We should also get things in return from them on a number of issues, some of which we discussed with the US envoys," he said. **PHOTO CAPTION*** A Palestinian youth uses a slingshot during a protest at the site of the controversial Israeli security barrier near the West Bank village of Beit Liqya March 12, 2004. (Mahfouz Abu Turk/Reuters)