Two die in Mideast violence

ISRAEL shut down the office of a leading Palestinian moderate yesterday as top officials from the two sides met for a second day, bringing out contrasting trends in the 21-month conflict.

In continuing violence, a Palestinian gunman opened fire on Israeli police in Jerusalem and an Islamic militant was killed in a West Bank gun battle.

Israeli police raided the campus of Al Quds University, on the edge of Jerusalem, and closed down the office of the president, Sari Nusseibeh, who is also the top PLO official in Jerusalem.