TEHRAN Israeli forces killed five Palestinians Friday in clashes in the West Bank and Gaza Strip that drew charges of "murder" and "terrorism" from a top Palestinian official.
Early Friday, the Israeli Army delivered to the Rafidiyeh Hospital in Nablus the bodies of three Palestinians killed in the village of Tel, just outside the city.
Abd al-Moayn Hassan Ibrahim, 23, and Mohammed Abdel Latif, 20, both residents of Tel, were killed overnight in clashes with Israeli troops near a road reserved for Jewish settlers, witnesses said.
They said the third, Saeed Ibrahim al-Kharuf, a 35-year-old businessman, was killed by Israeli troops as he searched for one of his trucks, which had broken down on the road.
Khalil Arida, who was accompanying Kharuf, was wounded and taken away by the Israeli Army, the sources said.
Separately, Palestinian policeman Nihad Hintish, 28, was killed in clashes in Beit Rima after a Jewish settler from Halamish was wounded by Israeli fire, the source.
Another policeman, Khalil Mazhoun, was gravely wounded in the neck.
In the Gaza Strip's Erez Industrial Complex, a Palestinian worker was killed by Israeli fire, another source said.
The Israeli Army, who did not identify the victim, said the man had threatened soldiers with a knife before being shot, the source said.
Another Palestinian was shot dead Friday during clashes between Palestinian demonstrators and Zionist settlers near the West Bank city of Nablus, a Palestinian medical source said.
Mhammed Faruq Daoud, 17, was hit in the chest with a bullet in the town of Hareth, southwest of Nablus.
Palestinian Information Minister Yasser Abed Rabbo soundly condemned the killings, particularly those of the three men in Nablus.
"What happened in Nablus is another proof that the Israeli Army has no other method than assassination and terrorism," Abed Rabbo told AFP, adding that the "Palestinian people will know how to respond to these crimes, for which the perpetrators will have to pay the price." The deaths bring to 334 the number of people killed since violence broke out in Israel and the Palestinian territories on September 28. That includes 282 Palestinians, 13 Arab Israelis, 38 Israelis and a German.
On Thursday, Israel chose to reimpose age restrictions on Palestinians who wish to pray at the Haram al-Sharif Mosque compound in Bait-ul-Moqaddas.
Only Palestinians and Israeli Arabs older then 35 years will be granted access to the Haram al-Sharif, Islam's third holiest site, the police said.
However, in a conciliatory gesture, Israel will lift the military blockade on the West Bank for 1,000 Palestinians who wish to attend Friday prayers in Bait-ul-Moqaddas.
Meanwhile, Hamas marked its 13th anniversary Thursday with a call to pursue the violent uprising to Israeli occupation.
"Holy war is the only way to assure victory," Hamas said in a statement issued in Gaza.
The group, which plans a birthday rally in Gaza on Friday, denounced moves to relaunch the peace process and the establishment of an international fact-finding commission as "desperate attempts to save the Zionists." Hamas also urged Palestinians to pray in large numbers in Bait-ul-Moqaddas.
The UN General Assembly meanwhile on Thursday, in a rare consensus, adopted a resolution urging UN member states to extend economic and social assistance to the Palestinians, supporting a lift of the Israeli embargo.
The resolution, presented by the European Union, underlined the necessity of Israel's immediate implementation of 1994 Accords that allowed "the full and prompt clearance of Palestinian indirect tax revenues," the United Nations resolution text read.
Israel decided not to oppose the resolution after protracted negotiations with the Europeans, diplomats told AFP.
The assembly affirmed that it was important "to extend, as rapidly and as generously as possible, economic and social assistance to the Palestinian people, in close cooperation with the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and through official Palestinian institutions." Israel's Foreign Minister Shlomo ben Ami announced early Friday that talks with the Palestinians would resume next week, Israeli Military Radio reported.
However observers believe that the talks had already been started two weeks ago but with secret meeting between Palestinian Authority leaders and Israeli officials.
Ben Ami's comments came after surprise overnight talks with Palestinian Leader Yasser Arafat in Gaza City held in a bid to end weeks of bloodshed and set the Middle East peacemaking process back on track.
"The Palestinians understand that nothing but peace talks can help them achieve their goals," Ben Ami told the radio station following three hours of talks.
Colonel Mohammed Dahlan, the head of Preventive Security in the Gaza Strip, Palestinian information minister and chief Palestinian peace negotiator Saeb Erakat also attended the meeting.
It was the highest level talks between Israeli and Palestinian leaders since Arafat and outgoing Israeli prime minister Ehud Barak met in Paris on October 4.
Barak's cabinet chief Gilad Sher also attended Thursday's Gaza meeting.
Arafat met with Ben Ami at a Gaza City villa in the evening.
A founder of Hamas meanwhile, promised "hell" for Israel to venge Palestinian militants' deaths as thousands turned up Friday to mark the 13th anniversary of the Islamist movement's creation.
"The Zionist enemy opened the gates of hell itself and Shlomo Ben Ami's visit to Gaza will not change that one bit," Salah Shehadeh told an estimated 30,000 people assembled at Gaza city's Yarmuk SSadium.
The Hamas leader was referring to an unexpected meeting Thursday night in Gaza between Ben Ami, and Arafat in hopes of restarting the peace process, at a standstill even before violence broke out in late September.
In another development, Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad said Friday he had rejected personal requests from two Israeli prime ministers to establish relations with the Jewish state.
"It's true Netanyahu and Barak have written to me asking Malaysia to establish ties with Israel," Mahathir said.
"The reply that we gave is that for as long as the Palestinian problem is not resolved, we will not consider such a possibility." Former prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu is seeking to contest prime ministerial elections in February following Barak's dramatic resignation from the post last Sunday.
Mahathir, speaking at a dialogue with university students, said he sent a congratulatory message to Barak when he was elected prime minister.
But he said he did so with the hope that Israel would respect its agreement with the Palestinian authorities.
"But it is clear they do not respect the agreement ... that is why negotiations have ceased," Mahathir was quoted by Bernama news agency as saying.