Palestinians Open Fire on a Car Near the West Bank
JERUSALEM — Palestinians on Thursday opened fire on a car on a main highway that runs next to the West Bank, police said, but no one was hurt.
The attack took place on Highway 6, a toll road that runs north and south near the Palestinian town of Kalkilya. Police were searching the area.
On June 18, a Palestinian gunman crawled through a water channel to bypass a barrier built along the road to separate it from the West Bank, opened fire on a car and killed an Israeli girl.
On June 28, the three main Palestinian groups declared a truce, but renegade bands of militants have refused to accept it.
Despite turmoil within the Palestinian leadership, Israeli and Palestinian officials met Thursday to discuss an impasse over the release of prisoners, a disagreement that threatens to undermine the truce.
Israeli Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz and Palestinian security chief Mohammed Dahlan talked for two hours at an Israel-Gaza Strip crossing.
Israel Radio reported that Mofaz demanded that the Palestinians take action against extremist groups during the truce.
Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas refuses to confront the groups for fear of triggering a civil war and prefers to negotiate an end to their attacks against Israelis. A Palestinian security official said on condition of anonymity that Dahlan demanded release of all 7,000 prisoners Israel is holding, especially about 450 who have been in prison for many years.
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