Mideast peace talks resume

WEB EXCLUSIVE Mike Hanna: Jewish settler killing latest setback in Mideast peace talks

JERUSALEM -- Middle East peace talks began Tuesday with violent rampages by Jewish settlers being put top of the Palestinian agenda.

Israeli settlers in southern Gaza torched Palestinian dwellings, crops and cars after a Jewish farmer was killed on Monday.

Teams led by Israeli Foreign Minister Shlomo Ben-Ami and Palestinian Parliament Speaker Ahmed Qureia met in Jerusalem, at a location kept secret to avoid media coverage, Palestinian officials said. Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat said the settler rampage in Gaza would be high on the agenda of the meeting.

Israeli police blamed Palestinians for the death of Roni Tsalah, who was found shot dead near the settlement of Kfar Yam in Gaza.

The farmer's disappearance prompted Israel to postpone peace talks scheduled for Monday, but they are due to resume on Tuesday in Jerusalem.

Ben-Ami and Qureia did meet on Monday but only to prepare for Tuesday's session.

U.S. President Bill Clinton has put forward plans for how to kickstart the peace process which have been agreed in principle by both sides -- even though both have reservations.

VIDEO CNN's Matthew Chance reports on what the latest bloodshed could mean for the Middle East peace process (January 15) Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media) CNN's Mike Hanna has more on the slaying of an Israeli settler and its effects on peace negotiations (January 15) Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media) Watch video of preparations for shooting of convicted collaborator in Gaza Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media)    AUDIO Police find slain Jewish settler 1.7M/161 sec. AIFF or WAV sound    TIMELINES Recent acts of violence in the Middle East:  •  Bombings  •  Activist deaths    RESOURCES Key issues: U.S., Israeli and Palestinian views    RESOURCES In-Depth: Israel Election 2001     ALSO Amateur video shows execution, Israeli TV says Albright looks back on successes and disappointments

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak said he would not give the Palestinians sovereignty over the disputed Jerusalem site, where the Al Aqsa Mosque compound was built over the ruins of the biblical Jewish Temples.

The Palestinians were reluctant to compromise over their demand that all refugees and their descendants -- about four million people -- be given the right to return to their former homes in Israel, where five million Jews live.

Israel reimposed tough restrictions on the movement of nearly a million Palestinians following the Tsalah's killing.

Troops blocked major roads and closed the Palestinian airport, as well as crossings into Egypt.

On Monday and early Tuesday, Jewish settlers attacked about 40 Palestinian farms in southern Gaza, farmers said.

Farmer Amin An-Najar, 42, who owns land near the Palestinian town of Khan Yunis, said dozens of settlers threw stones and fired shots at homes.

Israeli police spokesman Yossi Koppel said any settlers involved in attacks on Palestinian property would be prosecuted.

In the West Bank, the body of a suspected informer for Israel was found in the village of Ajah.

Officials in Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat's Fatah movement said masked men seized the victim from his home late on Monday.

Palestinian officials have said Israel has used informers in a campaign to track down and kill local Palestinian leaders.

At the weekend, two Palestinians were executed in public by firing squads after being convicted of helping Israeli forces kill an Islamic militant bombmaker and a leading Fatah gunman.

In an apparent attempt to deflect international criticism about the executions, Palestinian Justice Minister Freih Abu Medein announced that collaborators would be given amnesty if they turned themselves in within the next 45 days.

However, he also defended the executions, saying the Palestinian Authority had to fight against Israeli assassination plots.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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