Two Teen-Agers Reported Killed by Israeli Troops

Israeli troops Monday shot and killed two teen-agers, the latest victims in a surge of violence that has claimed 11 Palestinian lives in five days, Arab reports said.

Rafideh abu Laban, 13, and Kayed Moussa Salama, 14, were wounded fatally in stone-throwing protests that erupted during funerals for earlier victims of army gunfire, the reports said. Laban died in the occupied West Bank and Salama in the Gaza Strip.

A third Palestinian, a 50-year-old man, died Monday of spinal injuries a hospital official said were inflicted in a severe beating by troops.

Meanwhile, Jewish settlers in a tiny enclave in the West Bank city of Hebron said Monday they are creating a mobile armed militia and using attack dogs to defend their houses against Arab stone-throwing attacks.

Settlers to Form Force

“We’ve decided to create a trained group of people that would not interfere with the army but will reach troublesome spots and help defend Jewish houses in Hebron,” settler leader Aharon Domb said. “We’ll also secure Jewish houses by using guard and attack dogs, to be unleashed only in emergency situations.”

On the diplomatic front, Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir rejected Palestinian demands for at least a partial army withdrawal as a condition for agreeing to elections in the occupied lands.

“There is nothing to talk about regarding changes in the deployment of Israeli army forces. This deployment is necessary to maintain order, and order is necessary for elections,” Shamir said on Israel Army Radio.

Radio stations reported that Shamir went before a parliamentary committee Monday and defended his election plan against critical members of his own right-wing Likud Party who said elections could be the first step to creating a Palestinian state.

Palestinian election candidates would have to agree to certain limits in advance, including rejecting a Palestinian state, the radio quoted Shamir as saying.

He also said he opposes international supervision of the vote.