JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israel and the Palestinians planned to resume high-level security talks on Saturday despite a week of strikes and counter-strikes that have killed more than 50 people and imperiled a U.S.-led peace plan.
The meeting, which coincides with a new U.S. diplomatic mission to salvage the peace "road map," was expected to focus on Israel's renewed offer to pull back from parts of the Gaza Strip (news - web sites) in return for a Palestinian crackdown on militants.
Palestinian security chief Mohammed Dahlan was to meet senior Israeli military officials on Saturday night in the first such talks since President Bush (news - web sites) launched the peace plan at a summit last week, sources on both sides said.
But there was little cause for optimism amid Palestinian militants' vows of revenge and Israel's pledge to wage war against them "to the bitter end."
The United States called for restraint by Israel and an end to Palestinian attacks after the spiral of tit-for-tat violence heightened international concern that the 32-month-old conflict was spinning out of control.
Veteran U.S. diplomat John Wolf was due to arrive in Israel late on Saturday to hold separate talks in coming days with Israeli and Palestinian leaders.
His original brief was to oversee implementation of reciprocal confidence-building steps mandated by the road map, which calls for creation of a Palestinian state by 2005.
But following a Hamas suicide bombing in Jerusalem and Israeli air raids against the Islamic militant group in Gaza, he was expected to find himself in the role of trouble-shooter.
"WAR TO THE BITTER END"
On Saturday, Israeli forces tightened travel restrictions in the Gaza Strip and raided the Tulkarm refugee camp in the West Bank, where witnesses said troops wounded four Palestinians.
An Israeli military source said soldiers on a mission to capture a wanted militant fired at "suspicious figures" who refused orders to stop and at a man who threw a petrol bomb.
Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon (news - web sites) had proposed in earlier meetings with his Palestinian counterpart Mahmoud Abbas a partial withdrawal from parts of northern Gaza as a proving ground for Palestinian security forces.
But Abbas had rejected the offer, saying he first needed to work out a cease-fire deal with militant groups that have rejected the road map.
After three days in which Israel killed six Hamas men using helicopter-fired guided missiles -- also causing at least 16 civilian deaths -- the Palestinians said they were ready to assume security control if Israel stopped its hits on militants.
"We are ready to take over the territories from which the Israelis withdraw," Information Minister Nabil Amr said.
But Israel, seething from Wednesday's Hamas bombing aboard a Jerusalem bus which killed 17, showed no sign of backing down.
"As a government responsible for the security of its citizens, we must wage a war to the bitter end (against Hamas) because no one else, at least at this stage, will do it," Deputy Defense Minister Zeev Boim told Israeli Army Radio.
Secretary of State Colin Powell (news - web sites) was due to meet other members of the so-called "Quartet" of mediators -- the United Nations (news - web sites), European Union (news - web sites) and Russia -- in Jordan on June 22. (Additional reporting by Maia Ridberg and Mohammed Assadi)
The meeting, which coincides with a new U.S. diplomatic mission to salvage the peace "road map," was expected to focus on Israel's renewed offer to pull back from parts of the Gaza Strip (news - web sites) in return for a Palestinian crackdown on militants.
Palestinian security chief Mohammed Dahlan was to meet senior Israeli military officials on Saturday night in the first such talks since President Bush (news - web sites) launched the peace plan at a summit last week, sources on both sides said.
But there was little cause for optimism amid Palestinian militants' vows of revenge and Israel's pledge to wage war against them "to the bitter end."
The United States called for restraint by Israel and an end to Palestinian attacks after the spiral of tit-for-tat violence heightened international concern that the 32-month-old conflict was spinning out of control.
Veteran U.S. diplomat John Wolf was due to arrive in Israel late on Saturday to hold separate talks in coming days with Israeli and Palestinian leaders.
His original brief was to oversee implementation of reciprocal confidence-building steps mandated by the road map, which calls for creation of a Palestinian state by 2005.
But following a Hamas suicide bombing in Jerusalem and Israeli air raids against the Islamic militant group in Gaza, he was expected to find himself in the role of trouble-shooter.
"WAR TO THE BITTER END"
On Saturday, Israeli forces tightened travel restrictions in the Gaza Strip and raided the Tulkarm refugee camp in the West Bank, where witnesses said troops wounded four Palestinians.
An Israeli military source said soldiers on a mission to capture a wanted militant fired at "suspicious figures" who refused orders to stop and at a man who threw a petrol bomb.
Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon (news - web sites) had proposed in earlier meetings with his Palestinian counterpart Mahmoud Abbas a partial withdrawal from parts of northern Gaza as a proving ground for Palestinian security forces.
But Abbas had rejected the offer, saying he first needed to work out a cease-fire deal with militant groups that have rejected the road map.
After three days in which Israel killed six Hamas men using helicopter-fired guided missiles -- also causing at least 16 civilian deaths -- the Palestinians said they were ready to assume security control if Israel stopped its hits on militants.
"We are ready to take over the territories from which the Israelis withdraw," Information Minister Nabil Amr said.
But Israel, seething from Wednesday's Hamas bombing aboard a Jerusalem bus which killed 17, showed no sign of backing down.
"As a government responsible for the security of its citizens, we must wage a war to the bitter end (against Hamas) because no one else, at least at this stage, will do it," Deputy Defense Minister Zeev Boim told Israeli Army Radio.
Secretary of State Colin Powell (news - web sites) was due to meet other members of the so-called "Quartet" of mediators -- the United Nations (news - web sites), European Union (news - web sites) and Russia -- in Jordan on June 22. (Additional reporting by Maia Ridberg and Mohammed Assadi)
