Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon leaves behind a volatile domestic security situation today to meet President George W. Bush in Washington for the first time since both took office.
Mr Sharon is also due to meet senior defence officials, US Jewish and congressional leaders and visit the United Nations as Palestinians' feelings run high over Israeli restrictions on their movement after almost six months of an uprising.
Shin Bet security chief Avi Dichter met Palestinian intelligence chief Amin al-Hindi late last night at Gaza's Erez crossing with Israel to discuss trying to reduce the level of violence, sources close to the meeting said.
They said it was the second time the two had held talks since Mr Sharon defeated Mr Ehud Barak in February's prime ministerial election. But Palestinian Public Security chief Major General Abdel-Razek al-Majaydeh said no meeting had taken place.
There was no Israeli confirmation that the talks had happened, although Israel Radio reported that Mr Sharon had given the green light to Israeli officials to hold talks with Palestinian counterparts on reducing tensions.
At least 347 Palestinians, 65 Israelis and 13 Israeli Arabs have been killed since the uprising against Israeli occupation erupted in September.
Thousands of Palestinians took to the streets of the West Bank and Gaza yesterday to demand an end to Israeli blockades of Palestinian areas, scornful of Israeli promises to relax controls the Jewish state says are necessary for its security.
Palestinian hospital officials said that Israeli troops shot and wounded two Palestinians in separate incidents in the Gaza Strip.
Witnesses reported heavy late-night exchanges of gunfire between Israeli soldiers and Palestinians to the north of the West Bank town of Hebron, close to the West Bank settlement of Tapuach and near Neve Dekalim and Gush Katif in the Gaza Strip.