Wednesday, March 12, 2008

Violence Follows Hamas Appeal For Calm

(CBS/AP) The Hamas prime minister called publicly Wednesday for a period of calm with Israel, laying out conditions that would end attacks on Palestinian militants, open Gaza's borders and lift economic sanctions.

But shortly after the appeal by Ismail Haniyeh, Israeli troops opened fire on a car in the West Bank town of Bethlehem and killed four Palestinian militants, clouding the prospects for a cease-fire.

This violence comes after an earlier arrest raid in the West Bank Wednesday morning where Israeli troops killed an Islamic Jihad militant in a pre-dawn gun battle, according to Palestinians and the Israeli military.

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