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August 27, 2013

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Palestinians call off talks after 3 killed

Palestinian officials said they called off a planned round of peace talks yesterday after Israeli soldiers killed three protesters during clashes following an arrest raid in the West Bank.

But in comments that suggested the meeting had gone ahead as planned, a US official in Washington said “no meetings have been canceled.” The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, refused to elaborate on.

The violence, the deadliest incident in the area in years, dealt a new blow to US-led peace efforts, which resumed late last month after a nearly five-year break.

Palestinian officials have accused the Israelis of stonewalling and using the process as a cover to build new Jewish settlements.

The deaths of Palestinians further soured the atmosphere.

Yesterday’s clashes broke out when Israeli forces entered the Qalandia refugee camp, just outside of Jerusalem, on an overnight arrest raid. Shai Hakimi, a spokesman for the paramilitary border police, said hundreds of Palestinians poured into the streets and hurled firebombs, concrete blocks and rocks at officers.

The Israeli military said soldiers rushed to the scene to provide backup and opened fire after they felt their lives were in “imminent danger.”

An official at a Ramallah hospital confirmed three deaths and more than a dozen wounded.

The violence drew fierce Palestinian condemnations. “Such a crime proves the need for an urgent and effective international protection for our people,” Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah said in a statement.




 

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