Israel suspends contacts with palestinians
(AP)
Updated: 2005-10-17 19:30

Israel suspended contacts with the Palestinian Authority on Monday and slapped tough travel restrictions on the West Bank after Palestinian gunmen killed three young Israelis and wounded five in two drive-by shootings near Jewish settlements.

An Israeli border police guards a group of Palestinians, detained as their identity cards are being checked in the West Bank city of Hebron, following a shooting attack Sunday Oct. 16, 2005. Palestinian gunmen in a speeding car opened fire at a crowded bus stop in a West Bank intersection north of Hebron on Sunday, killing three Israelis and wounding four others in the deadliest attack on Israelis in more than three months, Israeli officials said. [AP]

The attack near the Gush Etzion block of settlements on Sunday was the deadliest since July. It followed Israeli intelligence warnings that Palestinian militants, who claim they drove Israel out of Gaza by force, would now shift their focus to the West Bank. Israel pulled out of Gaza in September in a unilateral move.

The Al Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades, a militant group with ties to the ruling Fatah party, claimed responsibility. However, security officials said they believed the Islamic militant group Hamas might have been involved.

The attacks renew international pressure on Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas, who meets with President Bush later this week, to crack down on militants, something he's been reluctant to do. Involvement of gunmen with ties to Fatah in Sunday's attacks would underscore his failure to impose control.

Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat called the shootings "unfortunate" and accused the gunmen of trying to sabotage efforts to revive peace talks. He urged Israel to reconsider the travel restrictions and suspension of contacts, saying "angry messages, collective punishment and violence will just add to the complexities."

Erekat said Israeli negotiators failed to show up for a meeting Sunday evening on the reopening of the Rafah terminal on the Gaza-Egypt border. The opening of the crossing is crucial for the economic recovery of Gaza.