Arabs, Jewish Settlers Fight in West Bank

The Jewish enclave here was engulfed for three hours Saturday by rioting and fistfights between Jews and Arabs, an eruption that could reverberate on the peace summit at Camp David, Md. Five Palestinians were hospitalized.

Palestinians said the Jewish settlers, known to be the most adamant opponents of Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak’s peacemaking efforts, started throwing stones at Palestinians in the afternoon, accusing them of disturbing their Sabbath rest.

Settlers said the riots started when a Palestinian sexually assaulted a Jewish teenage girl. Palestinian officials strongly denied that, saying it was a pretext for violence by settlers hoping to scuttle any peace accord.

Jewish settlers have attacked local Palestinians for disturbing the Sabbath, but the rioting has rarely achieved such an intensity.

Fistfights drew hundreds of Jews and Palestinians to some of the most sensitive areas in the city, including near the Cave of the Patriarchs, the scene of bloody violence in the past. Israeli troops, who are in charge of security in the enclave, grappled both with the settlers and the Palestinians.

Meanwhile, in Jerusalem, hundreds of Palestinians and Israelis demonstrated in a show of support for their representatives at Camp David.

Palestinians marched in the Gaza Strip and West Bank to back their delegation at the talks and to urge that no compromise be made on key issues including the status of Jerusalem and the return of refugees. In Israel, several hundred motorists formed a convoy from Tel Aviv toward the northern city of Haifa to show their backing for Barak’s peace policies.