With clashes appearing to wind down after more than a month of bloodshed, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak made the clearest offer yet of an independent state for the Palestinians but said it must be the result of negotiations and that the negotiations can only resume once the violence abates. Barak's pledge of a viable Palestinian state came in a long letter to the heads of all the world's governments, meant to explain Israel's policy in its conflict with the Palestinians.
The unrest continued yesterday, following a pattern set in the week since the two sides arrived at their latest truce agreement. There were a few riots during the daytime hours, in which one Palestinian was killed and 50 wounded. At night, exchanges of gunfire erupted, as Palestinians opened fire on Israeli army posts, the Jewish neighborhood of Gilo in East Jerusalem and two West Bank settlements. Israeli soldiers returned the fire.
A 7-year-old Palestinian boy was killed in a hit-and-run incident in the West Bank, Palestinians said. The boy's brother said a Jewish settler swerved his car and ran over the boy on purpose. Israeli police said they were checking, but no complaint had been filed. The Palestinian authority said it is working to persuade teen-agers to stay out of confrontations with Israeli soldiers.
At least 170 people have been killed in the clashes that began September 28, most of them Palestinians, including many teen-agers.
Bureau Report