Two Palestinians killed at West Bank checkpoint

Two Palestinian motorists have been killed by Israeli troops at a military checkpoint in the West Bank.

Earlier, Israeli attack helicopters struck a Palestinian police post in the Gaza Strip, in retaliation for mortar fire on a Jewish settlement.

Despite the violence, another round of ceasefire talks is to be held in the presence of US envoy Anthony Zinni.

The European Union, meanwhile, has sent its foreign policy chief, Javier Solana, to the Middle East for a new mediation mission.

Mr Solana is talking with Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, and meeting separately with Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat.

The latest round of violence began on Monday when Israeli helicopters fired missiles at a car in the West Bank town of Hebron, killing two Palestinian children, ages three and 13, and wounding seven passengers and bystanders.

Later, Palestinians fired mortar shells at a Jewish settlement in Gaza, lightly injuring an Israeli girl. In retaliation, Israeli helicopters fired four rockets at a post of the Palestinian security service Force 17 in Gaza City.

Israeli troops in the West Bank have opened fire on a Palestinian car, killing the driver and a passenger, the Israeli military said. The car had refused to stop at a military checkpoint near the near the village of Shweika, on the outskirts of the town of Tulkarem.

In Belgium, the EU demanded that Arafat arrest and prosecute those suspected of involvement in attacks on Israelis, and deliver a public appeal in Arabic for an end to the Palestinians' armed uprising against Israel.

The EU statement also urged the Israeli government to halt military operations against the Palestinians in retaliation for bomb attacks and to lift closures and travel restrictions against the Palestinians.