Tony Blair launches private peace mission

Meanwhile, Israeli forces shot dead a Palestinian during clashes near the West Bank city of Ramallah on Friday, the Palestinian health ministry said.

Also Friday, two Palestinians were killed in clashes with Israeli troops, one near Hebron and the other in the city of Ramallah, Palestinian officials said.

Also Friday, a Palestinian was shot and killed in clashes with Israeli troops during a protest rally in the West Bank.

Magen David Adom paramedics said they evacuated three wounded people from the scene that were in the Israeli vehicle – including a 9-year-old boy who was moderately wounded and a 40-year-old woman and 12-year-old boy, both lightly hurt. The gunman opened fire on a family travelling near the Jewish settlement of Otneil, which is close to Hebron, Israel medics and media reported.

After Friday prayers in Gaza, hundreds of Palestinians threw rocks at Israeli soldiers on the border. Israel’s military said hundreds of Palestinians threw rocks and rolled burning tires at soldiers stationed near Hebron who deployed “low caliber fire” at “the main instigators”. No further details were immediately available.

In all, since mid-September, 14 Israelis have been killed in Palestinian attacks, mostly stabbings.

The US Senate on Tuesday passed a resolution expressing support for Israel and condemning Palestinian terror attacks.

The Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) and the Israel Police are working to determine whether or not a fatal crash in the West Bank Saturday night was a simple traffic accident or part of a terror plot, the Shin Bet said after the deadly collision.

Less than six months after stepping down as the Middle East envoy for a quartet of world powers, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair is having another go at helping forge peace in the region, although this time taking a different tack.

“What I will do here and in the whole region is to work through this initiative to stimulate the Middle East to try to push for the peace process in the framework of the Arab Peace Initiative, and make a huge difference on the ground in Gaza and the West Bank and for Palestinian unity on the basis of peace”. “The lives and futures of two peoples are at stake, and we can not afford to resort to shallow responses such as accusing Palestinians of not wanting peace, or divesting from Israel”.

Israel’s justice ministry said an indictment was filed Friday against an Israeli teenager who attacked a human rights activist last month. About two minutes later, they were seen pushing a man in a wheelchair, presumably the suspect, back down the hallway.