JERUSALEM, 22 November 2004 — The United States yesterday began a new round of Middle East diplomacy after the death of Yasser Arafat, asking Israel to help with the upcoming Palestinian election to pick a successor.

Assistant Secretary of State William Burns became the first senior US diplomat to meet with top Palestinians in several months, and Secretary of State Colin Powell arrived yesterday evening for further talks. Burns said Israel should cooperate with the Palestinian election, and Israel indicated it would pull troops back in the West Bank.

The visits are part of an international push for progress toward a new Israel-Palestinian accord after Arafat’s death Nov. 11.

Following Powell, British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw is to visit the region this week, and Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Moratinos is expected Dec. 2.

Powell has separate meetings scheduled with Israeli and Palestinian officials today.

In their talks with Burns, the interim Palestinian leaders asked for US pressure on Israel to remove troops from West Bank cities and towns to allow campaigning and a free election on Jan. 9.

“I am here to stress strong American support for the Palestinian election,” Burns said after a meeting with interim Palestinian Authority President Rauhi Fattuh.

“We are determined to do everything we can to help in that process and we also support steps by Israel which are needed to facilitate this election,” he said, but he did not elaborate. Burns met separately yesterday with the Israeli national security adviser, Giora Eiland.

In violence yesterday, the Israeli military said its forces killed three Palestinians in Beitunia, next to the West Bank city of Ramallah. Palestinian security officials said the three were members of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades, an offshoot of the Fatah.

Also, Israeli troops shot and killed a Palestinian who tried to attack a Gaza road used by Jewish settlers, the Israeli Army and Islamic Jihad said.

Palestinians have had only one general election, in 1996. Elections have been scheduled several times in recent years but then canceled, as Palestinians said they could not carry out a campaign with the Israelis in control of the territory.

Now, Israel appears ready to cooperate.

Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Mark Regev said Israel has “every intention of redeploying (troops) so as to allow them to have their process of election.”