ISRAELI soldiers shot and wounded nine Palestinians yesterday in clashes with demonstrators protesting against Israeli land confiscations at the self ruled enclave of Qalqilya on the West Bank. Hospital officials said two men were moderately wounded by live bullets and seven others by rubber bullets.
Earlier, witnesses said soldiers positioned on Israel's side of the border, fired live bullets and tear gas to try to disperse about 600 Arabs. The Arabs were blocking Israeli bulldozers attempting to clear the land for a border fence. No one was injured in this incident.
Israel handed Qalqilya and five other West Bank towns over to Palestinian rule at the end of last year under an interim peace deal with the PLO. Since then, Palestinians have protested at Israel's taking lands to build bypass roads and fences around the self rule enclaves.
Meanwhile yesterday, in the Egyptian resort city of Taba, Israel and the PLO concluded inaugural talks on a final peace settlement.
"The two sides reaffirmed their determination to put an end to decades of confrontation and to live in peaceful coexistence, mutual dignity and security," a joint communique said.
Issuing its own statement, the militant Islamic group Hamas vowed in a leaflet to continue its jihad ("holy struggle") against Israel until "occupation is removed and dignity and rights are achieved".
In the Taba communique Israel and the PLO said they sought a "just, durable and comprehensive peace settlement and historic reconciliation," but the negotiators acknowledged it would not be easy.
The outstanding issues include the highly charged questions of control over Jerusalem, the fate of hundreds of thousands of Palestinian refugees, the future of Jewish settlements in the West Bank and Gaza and the shape and status of the new Palestinian political entity.