ammonnews.net

Ammon News - AMMONNEWS - Israel's Interior Minister Silvan Shalom met with senior Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat in Amman recently in an effort to calm tensions between the two sides, Israeli sources said Sunday, according to The Times of Israel.

While the issues discussed and the outcome of the recent meeting between the two officials were unclear, it was described as a “trust-building” move, The Times of Israel reported.

The meeting between Shalom and Erekat was the latest in a string of private talks held between Israeli and Palestinian officials since the Israeli elections in March.

Likud minister Shalom, whose main job is running the Interior Ministry, is also responsible for peace efforts with the Palestinians and for the strategic dialogue that Israel maintains with the United States.

He said recently that Israel and the Palestinians “need to renew negotiations and try to reach understandings and agreements.”

The meeting came as tensions between Israel and the Palestinians have risen recently over the deaths of three Palestinians in three separate incidents.

A Palestinian man fell to his death while trying to escape Israeli forces who were attempting to arrest him in the West Bank, Israeli police said Monday.

Border police forces entered the Qalandia refugee camp near Ramallah to arrest two "suspected terror activists," one of whom was shot in the leg as he was running away across a roof, then fell to his death as he tried to leap to another roof, police said.

The forces had called on the running suspect to stop, before shooting at his lower extremities, police said.

"Despite that, the suspect continued to run and when he attempted to get to the roof of another building, he fell off it and was mortally wounded," a statement read.

A paramedic with the troops attempted to treat him, but was forced to pronounce him dead at the scene, police said.

The two suspects were suspected of having "planned a terror attack in Israel," according to the statement.

On Thursday, Israeli forces shot dead a Palestinian in the southern West Bank while arresting his son and the day before troops shot dead a Palestinian during clashes near the northern West Bank city Jenin.

*Agencies