Four killed in new Mideast violence

Four Palestinian militants have been killed in northern Gaza, apparently when a bomb they were planting exploded prematurely.

Palestinian security officials at first said Israeli tank shells killed the four, who were from the Al Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades, affiliated with the mainstream Fatah movement.

But loudspeakers on trucks in the area later said the four died while “fulfilling their national duty”, a phrase used in the past to announce the accidental deaths of people planning attacks against Israel.

Israeli forces have maintained a presence in the area – near the town of Beit Hanoun – for several weeks, trying to stop Palestinians firing rockets at a nearby Israeli town.

In Jordan, US Secretary of State Colin Powell yesterday met diplomats from the other three members of the Quartet of Mideast mediators – the EU, UN and Russia - to try to rescue the road map peace plan.

In a strongly worded statement, the Quartet said they “deplore and condemn the brutal terror attacks against Israeli citizens carried out since the road map’s presentation,” including a suicide bombing in Jerusalem and Friday’s ambush of a car in the West Bank.

It did not condemn Israel’s extrajudicial killing of Palestinian militants, but it did criticise ”Israeli military actions that result in the killing of innocent Palestinian and other civilians".

While the road map does not specifically rule out ”targeted killings", as the Israelis call assassination of suspected Palestinian militants, it says Israel must refrain from “actions undermining trust”.

The latest Palestinian leader to be killed was Abdullah Kawasme, 43, the Hamas leader in the West Bank city of Hebron. The Israeli military said he was shot on Saturday when he pulled a gun on soldiers trying to arrest him. Palestinians said he was unarmed.

Hamas threatened to avenge the killing, which came at a time when Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas and Egypt are pressing the violent Islamic groups to accept a truce with Israel as part of the road map.

* Sharon told his Cabinet yesterday that Israel could build inside existing settlements as long as it keeps quiet about it, despite a road map clause to the contrary.

His aide Raanan Gissin said that despite the road map language about “freez(ing) all settlement activity including natural growth of settlements,” Israel had an ”understanding with the Americans that inside the settlements, for the day to day needs, we can build,” giving examples of extra rooms or kindergartens.

He said the understanding was part of a document but would give no details.

He insisted that the road map ban was only on construction of new settlements, and Israel was removing unauthorised outposts. He said the issue of existing settlements would not arise until after all violence stops.