WEST BANK: Settlers Killed in Hamas Attack ahead of Peace Talks
Palestinian security forces have mounted a huge operation in the West Bank to catch the killers of four Israeli settlers shot on Tuesday.
Dozens of members of Hamas, which said it carried out the attack, have been arrested.
The killings came ahead of the first direct talks between Israeli and Palestinian leaders in two years.
Officials are gathering in Washington for discussions, before the Israeli and Palestinian leaders meet on Thursday.
US, Palestinian and Israeli officials have said they will not allow the attack, near Hebron, to undermine the talks.
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon condemned the killings as a 'blatant attempt' to undermine the upcoming negotiations.
[...] The four victims - two men and two women, one of whom was pregnant - were reportedly shot at from a passing vehicle.
[...] The talks, hosted by the US, seek to reach agreement on the core issues dividing the Israelis and Palestinians, including the status of Jerusalem, Israeli settlements within the West Bank and the borders of the future Palestinian state. BBC News (1 September 2010)