Two killed in car bomb plot

Two people died when a car exploded in northern Israel today in what police said appeared to be a failed car bombing attempt by Palestinians.

The car exploded on a road leading to Kibbutz Shluhot, an Israeli agricultural collective about five miles from the West Bank.

‘‘There was an explosion and what I can tell you at the moment was it looks as if it was a car bomb,’’ kibbutz driver Haim Perlstein told Israel Radio from the scene.

Police and paramedics said that two occupants of the car were killed, but there were no other casualties. Police said the two were apparently Palestinians who were planning to set the bomb off among Israelis, but the bomb went off prematurely.

‘‘Their identities are being checked and explosives experts are examining the car,’’ police spokesman Yossi Hasson said.

During a year of Palestinian-Israeli fighting, there have been dozens of bombings aimed at Israelis, including explosives-laden cars and suicide bombers.

Meanwhile, Israeli tanks and troops remained in Palestinian neighbourhoods in the West Bank town of Hebron. Israeli forces moved in to two areas early Friday after almost daily gunfire at three Jewish enclaves in the town.

On Saturday, tanks and bulldozers moved into another part of Hebron. Two Palestinians were killed on Saturday in exchanges of fire with Israeli forces there.

In a rare public criticism of Palestinian militants, Yasser Arafat’s Cabinet on Friday demanded militants stop attacking Israel, saying they have violated the Mideast truce and damaged Palestinian interests.