US envoy Mr Anthony Zinni told Israel and the Palestinians at the end of his first round of Middle East talks today that their people had suffered enough and it was time to end 14 months of fighting.
"We need to end the violence and we need to get back on the track towards peace," Mr Zinni told reporters after meeting Palestinian President Yasser Arafat at the traditional meal to break the daily fast during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
Hours later, Palestinian gunmen opened fire on the Jewish settlement of Gilo from nearby hills in the West Bank - a frequent flashpoint during the Palestinian uprising against Israeli occupation.
Israelis consider Gilo a neighbourhood of Jerusalem even though it was built on land occupied by Israel in the Middle East war in 1967 and was annexed in a move not recognised internationally.
No casualties were reported, but the shooting underscored the formidable obstacles Mr Zinni faces.
The retired US Marine Corps general, also toured the West Bank by car for a closer look at Jewish settlements, one of the main sources of friction in the conflict.
Mr Zinni, whose talks with Israeli leaders yesterday were overshadowed by a deadly shooting spree by Palestinian gunmen in northern Israel, said the tour gave him the chance to see the difficulty presented to the Palestinians by the conflict.
"I think both sides have suffered far too much in the last months and I think it is time for change," Mr Zinni said at a news conference in the West Bank city in Ramallah.
He said his mission was to get both sides to lay down their arms and start implementing a ceasefire brokered by Central Intelligence Agency Director George Tenet, and former US Senator George Mitchell's broader peace plan.