Settlers shoot Palestinian girl dead after funeral

JEWISH settlers shot dead a Palestinian girl during a rampage in the West Bank city of Hebron yesterday after the funeral of an Israeli soldier killed in a roadside ambush, Palestinian witnesses said.

Palestinian medical sources said nine Palestinians were wounded by gunfire. The violence flared as the United States said it planned talks with Palestinian officials on security reforms and Israel pledged to ease hardships on Palestinians in the West Bank.

Palestinian witnesses said about 100 settlers attacked Palestinian houses in the Old City and eastern Hebron, setting fires, breaking doors and windows, and firing at houses.

The dead girl, Neveen Jamjoum, was shot while sitting just inside the doorway of her house, her mother said. Hospital officials said she was 13, after medical sources initially said she was eight years old.

Israeli police said Palestinians provoked the settlers. “During the funeral procession, Palestinians threw stones at the mourners, who responded by charging forward. There was shooting, and scuffles between police and settlers, but we are still investigating,” a police spokesman said.

The meetings US Secretary of State Colin Powell will hold are expected to be the most senior US contacts with the Palestinian Authority since President George Bush called last month for Yasser Arafat to be sidelined as Palestinian leader.

“Last week I met with an Israeli delegation. This is part of the process of moving forward to help the Palestinian community transform itself,” said Mr Powell, on an Asian tour. He said the meeting would be held early next month after he returns home.

Senior Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat said on Saturday that the talks would take place on August 5-6, with a delegation including himself and new Interior Minister Abdel Razzak al Yahya, who supervises the Palestinian security forces.

Meanwhile, in Tel Aviv, US civil rights leader Reverend Jesse Jackson, on an inter-faith peace mission in the Middle East, urged Palestinians to disavow violence in their uprising Mr Jackson, met Mr Peres yesterday and planned talks through today with Palestinian officials, including Mr Arafat.