A Second Envoy From Israel Is Shot in Jordan

An Israeli Embassy employee in Jordan was shot and wounded Tuesday in an attack that added weight to fears voiced by a U.N. envoy that Israeli-Palestinian violence could widen into a regional conflict.

In the West Bank, Israeli soldiers shot dead two Palestinians, and an Israeli helicopter launched a missile at a house in the town of Beit Jala after gunmen fired on the nearby Jewish settlement of Gilo.

The deaths raised to 297 the number of people, mainly Arab, killed in the Palestinian uprising--now more than 2 months old--against Israeli occupation.

The violence spilled over into the Jordanian capital, Amman, where Israeli Embassy employee Shlomo Razabi was slightly wounded in one leg by shots fired at his car, the Israeli Foreign Ministry said.

Two weeks ago, an Israeli vice consul suffered gunshot wounds to his thigh and arm in Amman. Two unknown groups claimed responsibility at the time and vowed more attacks until diplomatic ties between Israel and Jordan are severed.

Terje Roed-Larsen, the United Nations’ special Middle East envoy, called on Israel and the Palestinians to restart peace talks immediately to avert the danger of a regional war.

“The situation as it is now is not tenable. It may continue the way it is right now for a few more weeks. . . . It could deteriorate sharply, dramatically and tragically, which may produce regional spillovers so we will face a regional war,” Roed-Larsen said.

On the tense Israeli-Lebanese border, Israeli troops shot and wounded a Lebanese civilian. An Israeli military spokesman said the man had pointed a weapon toward an army force and was shot after he cocked the gun.