A Palestinian civilian was killed Friday by Israeli fire as he was walking near an Israeli military position at Khan Yunis in the Gaza Strip, Palestinian witnesses told AFP.
Ismael Abu Rumeya, 37, was shot down by troops guarding the border between the Gaza Strip and Israel, near the Israeli village of Kissufim, the witnesses said.
The incident comes as Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres Sunday goes to Egypt and Jordan, co-authors of a peace plan for the Palestinian territories, amid an ever-rising death toll and threats of revenge from Palestinian President Yasser Arafat's Fateh movement for the killing of three of its activists.
A spokesman said Peres would "discuss the current situation and the Jordanian-Egyptian initiative," in Egypt.
A senior Jordanian official said, meanwhile, Peres would also meet with King Abdullah II in Amman on Sunday, either before or after visiting Cairo.
Peres is also due to hold talks with US officials May 4 and 5. These will include Secretary of State Colin Powell and, possibly, President George W. Bush.
The Egypt-Jordan peace plan calls for confidence-building measures, including a halt to Israel's settlement activities and a resumption of negotiations for a final peace settlement.
Sharon has said he wants some modifications to the plan, presented by Jordanian Foreign Minister Abdel Ilah al-Khatib last week.
The Palestinians have rejected any fundamental changes.
BUSH CALLS SHARON
US President George W. Bush telephoned Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon Thursday "to discuss ways of securing peace" in the Middle East, Bush spokesman Ari Fleischer told reporters, quoeted by AFP.
"The president called the prime minister ... to discuss ways of securing peace in the region," Fleischer said as the president relaxed on his ranch.
"It's part of the president's ongoing plan to help create an environment that can get the parties engaged so that they can themselves lead the way and bring a peace to the Middle East," he said.
Asked whether Bush had urged restraint on Sharon, Fleischer said "his position is unchanged, he's urged all parties to end the cycle of violence" and reiterated the US position that the best way for peace talks to resume is "for the violence first to stop."
The president "understands how difficult it is to engage in securing an agreement while there's bloodshed in the streets," said Fleischer.
"It's going to be the continued approach of the president to be in touch with the leaders in the region," said the spokesman.
"The president's approach is that the United States can be constructive in facilitating the peace, not forcing the peace," he said.
In a statement from Jerusalem, the prime minister's office said that Bush congratulated Sharon on the Jewish state's 53rd anniversary.
Fleischer later said in a statement Bush will welcome Israeli President Moshe Katsav to Washington for a working visit on May 30.
"The United States and Israel enjoy a close, longstanding relationship that reflects the deep friendship between the American and Israeli people," Fleischer added.
US HOPEFUL OF EGYPT-JORDAN PEACE PLAN BUT POWELL NOT 'HYPERVENTILATING'
US Secretary of State Colin Powell said Thursday a Middle East peace proposal put forward by Egypt and Jordan might produce results but that he was not "hyperventilating" with anticipation, reported AFP.
Powell, testifying before a congressional panel, told lawmakers the United States was very closely studying an Egyptian-Jordanian plan aimed at ending more than six months of Israeli-Palestinian violence and restarting peace talks.
"There may be something that comes out of that that would be a basis to move forward, but ... we're not going to move forward until the violence starts to go in the other direction," Powell said.
He noted that Peres's trip, coupled with the resumption of US-hosted Israeli-Palestinian security talks even as the violence continued, represented some positive movement, Powell said cautiously.
An Israeli-Palestinian security meeting is scheduled on Friday.
"We've seen a little bit of progress, but I'm not hyperventilating," he said. "It's the Middle East."
The secretary assured lawmakers that he and President Bush remained seriously engaged in regional peace efforts but were ready to step up their involvement possibly with the appointment of a new special Middle East envoy if there was enough progress to warrant it.
INTIFADA GOES ON
The Jerusalem Post reported, meanwhile, that Israeli army was Thursday night shelling with tank and machine-gun fire at Beit Jala town and the Aida refugee near Ramallah camp after Palestinians allegedly shot bullets at the nearby Gilo settlement. There were no injuries, said the paper, but Haaretz reported that eight houses were damaged in the shooting.
As Israelis celebrated around the country Thursday, stepped-up security forces patrolled major cities and vacation spots for fear of Palestinian attacks threatened by Hamas and Islamic Jihad.
CIA INVOLVED IN RESTORING CALM
While Bush has so far adopted a more reticent approach to the Mideast conflict than his predecessor Bill Clinton, a CIA spokesman confirmed the key role the agency was playing in trying to douse the fighting which is now in its seventh month, said Haaretz.
Only last month advisors to Bush said he planned to extract the CIA from its key role in Israeli-Palestinian security coordination.
"Israel and the Palestinians have been holding security talks with the participation of a CIA official," agency spokesman Mark Mansfield said. Describing the CIA's role as a "facilitator," Mansfield said Deputy Director John McLaughlin "believes our role is not to negotiate; it is not to mediate; it is to provide a venue and invite people to come to a meeting hosted by someone who does not have an ax to grind." - Albawaba.com
© 2001 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
