Israeli soldiers shot dead five Palestinians in the Gaza Strip on Thursday on the bloodiest day in the coastal territory in weeks.
While violence flared, the ruling Islamic militant group Hamas welcomed a statement by the Quartet of Middle East peace mediators endorsing efforts to forge a Palestinian unity government that could help end an international aid blockade.
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, in a television interview, said he “wholeheartedly” wanted to deal with Palestinian economic hardship in cooperation with the world community and improve chances for a peace dialogue.
He insisted any such efforts must be accompanied by a “cessation of terror” by Palestinian militants.
“We are definitely trying, in every possible way, to continue the peace process and create diplomatic momentum. This is part of our agenda,” he told Israel’s Channel Two, repeating a pledge to meet Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
Olmert has seen his public standing plummet since a war with Lebanon’s Hizbollah guerrillas ended on Aug 14. His approval rating fell to 22 percent compared to 48 percent six weeks ago, a poll in the Haaretz newspaper showed.
Raiding a militant stronghold in the southern Gaza town of Rafah, Israeli troops killed a woman, 35, and a gunman.
In northern Gaza, soldiers killed three teenagers, whom Palestinians said were shepherds and the Israeli army said were tinkering with a rocket launcher. Two rockets were launched from the area earlier, damaging an Israeli apartment building.
More than 215 Palestinians have been killed since Israel launched an offensive in the Gaza Strip after an Israeli soldier was captured on June 25 in a cross-border raid.
Quartet seen softening its demands
In its statement issued on Wednesday, the United States, European Union, United Nations and Russia said any unity government should “reflect” demands to recognize Israel, renounce terrorism and abide by peace deals.
The Quartet did not call on the Palestinian government to explicitly meet the three conditions, and also urged Israel to hand over withheld Palestinian tax revenues.
Western diplomats said the Quartet statement amounted to a softening in Washington’s position that could clear the way for the Europeans to expand an aid program for the Palestinians.
The EU said it would start paying about $347 in “allowances” to 40,000 needy Palestinians starting on Saturday.
Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said the Quartet statement was a sign of progress. “We hope this position will contribute to stopping all forms of political and economic siege,” he said.
At odds over recognition of Israel
But Foreign Minister Mahmoud al-Zahar of Hamas said: “We are not going to recognize the people who occupied our land.”
Israel reacted cautiously to the Quartet statement, with some officials acknowledging it amounted to a weakening of an international campaign to isolate the Hamas-led government, which came to power in March.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Mark Regev said it was critical to insist that Hamas meet the three conditions.
“Giving legitimacy to the extremists that do not accept the three benchmarks can only undermine the position of the moderates,” Regev said.
American and Israeli officials have cast doubt on the prospects of the Palestinians forming a unity government anytime soon.
Tensions between Abbas’ Fatah movement and Hamas flared up last week when a top intelligence official loyal to Abbas was gunned down in Gaza.
