Al-Khalil hit, response to occupiers

The Palestinian Hamas resistance movement says the recent killing of four Israelis is a “natural response” to Tel Aviv’s crimes in the occupied West Bank.

“The attack is a natural response to the crimes of the occupiers,” the UK tabloid Daily Mirror quoted a commander for the Islamic movement as saying on Tuesday.

Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said the attack was proof “of a failure of security coordination” between Israel and the Palestinian Authority.

The four Israelis were killed late on Tuesday when unknown gunmen opened fire on their vehicle near the Kiryat Arba settlement, close to the West Bank city of al-Khalil (Hebron).

This comes as Israeli and Palestinian Authority officials are in Washington to hold US-brokered direct talks.

Palestinian officials have expressed hope that Israeli settlers would not use Tuesday’s attack as an excuse to “wreak havoc” in the West Bank, saying such a response could hurt the direct peace talks, Israeli Ynet news website reported.

The face-to-face negotiations, due to begin on September 2, are the first direct talks between the two sides since Israel killed more than 1,400 Palestinians in a 2008 attack against the Gaza Strip.