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Israelis Injure Stone-Throwing Protesters

Posted on: Saturday, 23 August 2003, 06:00 CDT

Israeli troops fired rubber bullets Saturday into a crowd of stone-throwing youths and men, injuring at least 16, hospital officials said.

Most were shot with rubber bullets, but two were hit in the legs by live bullets and one was wounded in the hand by shrapnel, hospital officials said.

Israeli troops have stepped up sweeps through West Bank towns in search of militants and weapons following a suicide bombing on Tuesday that left 20 dead and more than 100 injured.

The army said soldiers fired rubber bullets after dozens of Palestinians as young as 11 years old left their homes and began throwing rocks and firebombs.

Some 200 teenagers remained in the streets hurling stones at soldiers and tanks despite a curfew. Demonstrators also burned tires and left large rocks in the street.

Some residents said they were angry about the return of Israeli troops and especially about raids in which soldiers break down doors and order out families.

Soldiers helped administer first aid to the wounded, the army said.

On Friday, troops shot and killed a fugitive terror suspect in Nablus who was spotted hiding out on the roof of a hospital. Two other militants on the roof were critically wounded and were being treated at the hospital.

Palestinian leaders said Saturday they would try to broker a new halt to attacks by Islamic and other extremist groups and urged Israel to stop killing top militants.

Chances for a new cease-fire looked dim, however, and top Palestinian officials said privately they were unable to stop what looked set to be an all-out war between Israel and Palestinian militants.

After a Cabinet meeting in the West Bank town of Ramallah on Saturday, Information Minister Nabil Amr said any new cease-fire would have to include Palestinian groups and Israel.

"We can talk about a cease-fire, another truce, but we must have guarantees from Israel that it will cooperate. ... We are searching for a way to do that," he said.

The deadly bus bombing in Jerusalem prompted Israel to kill a leader of the extremist Hamas group. A temporary cease-fire declared two months ago by Hamas and two other groups dissolved under promises of more suicide bombings, and progress along a U.S.-backed peace plan broke down.

An Islamic Jihad spokesman in Gaza said Saturday the group did not object to the idea of renewed truce talks but said an agreement would have no chance as long as Israel is hunting militants.

"We don't have any conditions for any new dialogue," said Nafez Azzam, the Islamic Jihad official. But, he added, "I doubt that Israel is going to respect any new commitment."

Hamas officials could not be reached for comment Saturday.

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