OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, 10 June — Israeli tank fire killed two Palestinian women while they sat at home close to the Jewish settlement of Netzarim in the Gaza Strip last night, hospital officials said. They said that three other people from the same family had been wounded in the attack. The Israeli Army said it fired three tank shells after its soldiers came under attack in three separate incidents close to Netzarim in central Gaza.
The violence threatened to destabilize international diplomatic efforts under way in the region to bolster a fragile Israeli-Palestinian cease-fire.
Meanwhile, Israel radio said yesterday that a plan by CIA chief George Tenet to end violence in the Middle East calls for the immediate detention of Palestinian resistance fighters. The Palestinian Authority would also be obliged to halt anti-Israeli propaganda in the media and attacks on Israeli settlements in the Palestinian areas, radio reported.
Israel on its part would have to halt attacks on Palestinian targets and withdraw its troops to positions held prior to Sept. 28 last year. Israel would also have to make a greater effort to stop aggressive reaction to attacks.
The plan, which Tenet presented to intelligence chiefs from both sides late Friday, requires the Palestinian side to prevent Palestinians from infiltrating Israel from autonomous areas. The Palestinian Authority would also not be allowed to provide refuge to attackers. Both sides would be required to exchange information on suspects and their plans. Tenet also calls on the Palestinians to confiscate mortar bombs and launchers in areas under their control. Security talks would take place at regular intervals at the highest level and joint Israeli-Palestinian patrols and the work of the liaison offices would be resumed, the report said.
Tenet has given both sides until today to respond to the plan. Reports from Jerusalem said Israel agreed to most of the points but wanted the plan to include all the Palestinian areas and not only the areas under complete Palestinian control.
Yesterday Tenet met Egypt’s president while a new US regional envoy spearheaded an international drive to bolster a fragile Israeli-Palestinian truce by meeting both sides. Tenet flew to Cairo where he had talks lasting 45 minutes with President Hosni Mubarak. Afterward, Mubarak briefed Palestinian leader Arafat on his talks with Tenet.
