[Israel's commitment to fragile ceasefire remains cosmetic: Palestinians. Read photo caption below].

JERUSALEM, (Islamweb, Agencies) -
Palestinian and Israeli security chiefs met again in US-supervised talks on the fragile ceasefire between them Monday, at the end of one of the worst days of violence since the truce took effect Wednesday.
Israeli public television reported the two sides met in Tel Aviv, saying: "The Israeli authorities stressed to their Palestinian counterparts that this meeting is being held while Palestinian attacks are as serious and numerous as before" a US plan to consolidate the ceasefire came into effect June 13.
The ceasefire was first declared unilaterally by Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon on May 22 in the wake of the publication of the Mitchell commission report.
Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat followed up with his own ceasefire declaration following a Tel Aviv bombing which left 20 people dead.
But despite the ceasefire, three Palestinian attacks with automatic weapons in the West Bank Monday left two Israeli settlers dead and two wounded, while a Palestinian shot by Israeli troops Sunday also died of his wounds.
AL-AQSSA MARTYRS’ BRIGADES CLAIMS RESPONSIBILITY
One of the settlers died in hospital after being hit by Palestinian gunfire as he was driving in the West Bank, an army source said.
The settler, aged 35, whose identity was not given, was hit in the neck by a Palestinian firing from a hill overlooking the Jewish settlement of Einav near the autonomous Palestinian town of Tulkarem, said the source.
Israel's second private television channel said that the gunman first opened fire on four other cars and a passenger in one of them returned fire. Earlier, Danny Yehuda, 35, was killed in an ambush as he was driving near the settlement of Shavei Shomron northwest of the Palestinian-ruled town of Nablus.
He was a former security official at the neighbouring settlement of Homesh. His son was slightly wounded and taken to hospital.
An armed branch of the Fatah movement of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat -- the Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigade -- claimed responsibility for the attack.
ISRAEL’S COMMITMENT TO FRAGILE CEASEFIRE REMAINS COSMETIC
The Israeli army meanwhile said it had begun easing the blockade on the West Bank, pulling back tanks, opening some roads and removing checkpoints.
However, Palestinian witnesses said all main roads across the territory remained closed, and in some areas the army had even tightened the blockade by sealing off side roads.
DIPLOMATIC FRONT
On the diplomatic front, Arab League General Secretary Amr Mussa described the current ceasefire as "fragile" on his arrival in Beirut for a meeting of Arab information ministers Tuesday.
Earlier he attended a meeting of Arab leaders in Amman, where they collectively warned that the ceasefire could collapse unless international observers were sent to monitor the truce, effectively backing a similar call by Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat.
Their committee, comprising the foreign ministers of nine countries and a Palestinian Authority delegation, also urged Israel to "immediately" remove the blockade imposed on Palestinian territories and withdraw its troops from Palestinian land occupied since the start of the violence in late September.
Arafat had addressed the meeting in the morning and urged the international community to swiftly send "observers" to monitor the truce, describing the situation as "very dangerous".
Also in Amman, Jordan's King Abdullah II pledged continuous support to the Palestinian people in a meeting with Arafat, and urged Israel to be rational in dealing with the current crisis.
"Jordan will continue to place all its capabilities in the service of ending the hardships of the brotherly Palestinian people and to deploy every effort to help them emerge from the crisis and recover their legitimate rights," Abdullah reportedly told Arafat.
_______________________________________________________
PHOTO CAPTION

An Israeli soldier directs a bulldozer as the Israeli army removes a roadblock at the West Bank town Halhoul at the road into Hebron June 18, 2001. Palestinian President Yasser Arafat said a fragile cease-fire would not last unless Israel took steps to lift its blockade of Palestinian territories and suspend settlement building. (Reinhard Krause/Reuters)
- Jun 18 2:44 PM ET
___________________________________________________