Hamas Claims Responsibility for West Bank Shooting Deaths

The timing was conspicuous and apparently intentional regarding Tuesday’s news of the fatal shooting of four Israeli settlers in the West Bank by Hamas gunmen a day before Israeli-Palestinian talks were set to start in Washington.  —KA

The Christian Science Monitor:

The attack appeared to be an attempt to spark violence that could undermine the peace negotiations and was a stark reminder that the Islamist Hamas movement remains an important force in Palestinian politics, no matter how much either the Israelis or the Palestinian Authority’s Mahmoud Abbas wish they would go away.

Analysts say that after more than a year of US diplomacy and an improvement in security in the West Bank, the summit in Washington won’t be jeopardized by an isolated attack.

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Tuesday’s incident took place in the West Bank city of Hebron.