Israel Halts Palestinian Contact

Relations Suspended After Deadly Day On West Bank Kills 3 Israelis

(AP) 
It was the bloodiest assault in the West Bank since Israel completed its pullout from the Gaza Strip and another part of the West Bank last month. Israeli security officials have warned that following the withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, Palestinian militants would shift their activities to the West Bank.

The first attack occurred at the Gush Etzion junction, a main intersection at a large bloc of settlements south of Jerusalem. Israeli rescue services said one Israeli was dead at the scene and two others died in the hospital.

"The police and the army are searching, and the whole area has been cordoned off," said police spokesman Mickey Rosenfeld.

Israeli paramedics said two of the wounded were in serious condition.

The Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, linked to the ruling Fatah Party of Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas, claimed responsibility for the Gush Etzion shooting.

The second attack took place near the settlement of Eli in the northern area of the West Bank, relatively far from the first shooting. Rescue services said one Israeli was seriously wounded.

David Baker, an official in the Israeli Prime Minister's Office, denounced the shooting. "Israel removed roadblocks and made a number of humanitarian gestures to ease up on the Palestinians," he told The Associated Press. "It's unfortunate that the Palestinians have exploited these measures to carry out these murderous attacks."