Mideast Essay, Research Paper

JERUSALEM (Reuters) – The United States blamed both Israel and the Palestinians for an upsurge of violence that threatens to wreck a fragile U.S.-brokered cease-fire aimed at ending nine months of bloodletting.

The 15-day-old cease-fire faced its most difficult test on Monday after a Palestinian and an Israeli were killed in separate incidents, two car bombs exploded near Tel Aviv and Israel killed three Islamic militants.

Following the rise in violence, which had subsided for more than a week after the sides agreed to a truce, Israel said it would reassess its policies in the West Bank and Gaza Strip (news – web sites).

Fifteen Palestinians and eight Israelis have been killed since the warring parties adopted the truce brokered by U.S. CIA (news – web sites) Director George Tenet on June 13.

“We think the Palestinians have not done enough to fight terror and to end the violence. We also want to make clear that we remain opposed to Israel’s policy of targeted killings,” said State Department spokesman Richard Boucher.

“Both sides need to exert maximum efforts to halt the violence and we will continue to urge them to do so,” he told a daily briefing in Washington.

Israeli radio and television reported that Israeli and Palestinian security officials met late on Monday to try to save the truce from collapse.

An Israeli helicopter gunship fired a missile at a car in the West Bank late on Sunday, killing three Islamic militants Israel said were responsible for attacks against Israelis.

The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine said the car bombings were in retaliation for the “assassinations.”