OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, 9 August — Palestinian-Israeli security talks ended without agreement yesterday and a Palestinian was killed as Israeli forces stepped up their policy of raids, arrests and house demolitions.
Israel sent tanks into the Gaza town of Beit Lahiya for the second day running. A 17-year-old Palestinian died after being shot while riding his bicycle as troops fired to disperse stone-throwers.
Israeli forces demolished the West Bank homes of four families.
The renewed surge of military activity came hours after the foundering overnight of talks between Israeli and Palestinian officials on a proposed Israeli security plan to tackle the 22-month conflict.
Nabil Abu Rudeina, a close aide to Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, placed the blame squarely on Israel, saying the Jewish state had imposed a set of new conditions on the security plan.
As those talks faltered, top US and Palestinian officials pledged renewed efforts to reduce violence in the conflict with Israel, but remained at odds over US demands to ostracize Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat. Palestinian ministers met with Secretary of State Colin Powell and White House National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice in the highest-level contacts since President George W. Bush called for Arafat’s ouster in June.
"I reaffirmed to ministers that the president is committed to doing everything possible to find a way forward, recognizing the difficulties that exist and condemning the violence that afflicts the region and occasionally thwarts our ability to move forward," Powell said after talks at the State Department.
Saeb Erekat, Arafat’s chief negotiator, pointedly told reporters after meeting Powell that Arafat was the elected leader of the Palestinians and the delegation represented him.
The Palestinian Cabinet had earlier given a tentative green light to the Israeli proposal, entitled "Gaza First", during an emergency session.
"Israel went back on its position of Monday under which the security plan would also be applied to Bethlehem after Gaza, saying it would only be applied to Gaza, and adding many new conditions," Abu Rudeina said.
Palestinian International Cooperation Minister Nabil Shaath said the Israelis "didn’t really respond to any of the clarifications we asked them." "They’re not going to pull out of Gaza...it’s going to be partial, even in Gaza; they will not allow the kind of freedom of movement for our policemen that we requested," he told BBC television.
