While Israeli-Palestinian shootings continued in the West Bank and Gaza yesterday, diplomatic efforts to broker a peace treaty are gathering pace.
For the fourth time this week, Israel killed a Hamas Islamic activist - at an army checkpoint in Gaza - and then issued confusing comments about the circumstances. Some military sources claimed that the dead man, Hani Abu Bakr, was shot when he got out of his car and drew a pistol. But other sources indicated that he was on an Israeli "wanted" list and had been deliberately targeted.
Bullets flew in the other direction, too, yesterday, with an Israeli badly hurt in a shooting attack on a car at Halamish, near Ramallah in the West Bank.
And, as ever, today's Moslem prayers, on the third Friday of Ramadan, bring a renewed threat of confrontation. Nevertheless, Israel is slightly relaxing its limitations on entry to the Haram al-Sharif complex in Jerusalem - the disputed Temple Mount. Israel is also to allow 10,000 Palestinian workers to return to their jobs in Israel; about 100,000 entered to work daily prior to the outbreak of the intifada 11 weeks ago.
Behind the scenes, meanwhile, diplomatic contacts are in progress to try to broker an unlikely peace accord that would not only end the violence but lead to a more permanent Israeli-Palestinian settlement.
Mr Abu Ala, the Speaker of the Palestinian Legislative Council and a key player in the Oslo peace process, yesterday said he doubted that an American attempt to secure re-election for Israel's Prime Minister Ehud Barak, by brokering an accord, could succeed in the last weeks of the Clinton administration.
Nevertheless, there is vague talk of a possible visit to the region by Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, and even possibly by President Clinton. And some tentative conversations have been held between Israeli and Palestinian negotiators in recent days.
Reuters adds:
The Palestinian President, Mr Yasser Arafat, and senior Israeli government officials discussed how to rescue Middle East peacemaking and stop Israel-Palestinian violence in a late-night meeting, officials said early today.
Palestinian officials had no word of any agreement at the four-hour session.