Violence continues as parties discuss security

A suspected Palestinian gunman has killed an Israeli motorist after opening fire on him from a passing vehicle in the West Bank today.

A Jewish settler also shot and wounded two Palestinians elsewhere in the West Bank today, before being shot and injured himself by Israeli soldiers who mistook him for a Palestinian gunman.

Earlier, a suicide bomber was shot dead as he tried to enter a supermarket in the Efrat settlement in the West Bank.

Israeli police said the man was wearing explosives around his wait, but they failed to detonate.

The store manager said a shopper pulled a gun and shot him dead.

The al-Aqsa Brigade, which is linked to Yasser Arafat’s Fatah movement, claimed responsibility for the failed attack, which came just hours after Israeli and Palestinian security officials met for the first time in several weeks.

The Israeli military said the two sides had reached agreement on steps towards a ceasefire.

Israeli soldiers and tanks also withdrew from Palestinian areas in the Gaza Strip today in the first signs of a possible easing of tensions after a week of bloodshed through Israel and the occupied territories.