Palestinian Killed in West Bank Violence

Ignoring the pleas of U.S. officials to restore calm before the arrival of President Clinton this weekend, Israeli forces and Palestinian protesters clashed throughout the West Bank on Wednesday. A Palestinian teenager was killed, and scores were injured.

Palestinian youths protesting the continued detention of hundreds of Palestinian inmates in Israeli jails hurled Molotov cocktails and rocks at Israeli army troops and passing motorists in at least seven towns. Soldiers fired back with tear gas and rubber-coated steel bullets. In Bethlehem, the birthplace of Jesus, which Clinton will visit next week, Israeli snipers opened fire with live ammunition, Israeli radio reported.

Reacting to the violence, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu--his government on the brink of collapse--renewed his threat to halt any further withdrawals of Israeli forces from the West Bank. He committed Israel to the redeployments in the Oct. 23 peace accord known as the Wye agreement that Clinton helped write and is coming to promote.

“When the Palestinians are going wild and violating every article of the Wye agreement and are dispatching violent demonstrations and lynchings against Israeli citizens, I say, ‘Far enough,’ ” said Netanyahu, who is losing the support of his own right-wing coalition over the accord. Israelis accuse Palestinian authorities of inciting the rioting.

The clashes erupted during demonstrations marking the 11th anniversary of the intifada, and scenes of barricaded streets, stone-throwing masked youths and soldiers in helmets and flak jackets reminded many here of the Palestinian uprising against Israel that ended in 1993.

“On this day in 1987, the Palestinian people started the intifada of the sacred stones,” Voice of Palestine Radio said Wednesday morning as shops and schools throughout Palestinian-controlled areas shut for the day to commemorate the anniversary. “On this day we remember our martyrs and our prisoners who are struggling for their freedom with empty stomachs,” it said, referring to a hunger strike by prisoners that began Sunday.

Jihad Ayyad, the 16-year-old who hospital officials said was killed by a gunshot to the chest, was the second Palestinian to die in the violence this week. The other was a relative of Palestinian peace negotiator Saeb Erekat. At least 150 Palestinians have been hurt in the last 72 hours, Palestinians say.

In Wednesday’s violence, three Israeli civilians and seven soldiers were hurt by rocks, the army said.

Secretary of State Madeleine Albright on Wednesday urged Netanyahu and Palestinian Authority President Yasser Arafat to stick to the Wye land-for-security accord and rein in the violence. And U.S. special envoy Dennis B. Ross, shuttling between Jerusalem and Palestinian territories, also counseled the two leaders to show restraint.

But there was no sign of either side softening its position. The steady deterioration puts Clinton, who arrives here Saturday night, on the spot. Pressure is building for Clinton to work some healing magic on the crippled peace process.

Arafat is facing the wrath of his own people over his failure to secure the release of an estimated 2,000 prisoners.

As promised, Israel released an initial batch of Palestinian prisoners last month. But mostly common criminals were included, not the intifada veterans that the Palestinians want freed. Israel now wants the Palestinians to drop their demand about the prisoners and refrain from declaring an independent state.