Gaza Violence Dents Hopes of Middle East Peace
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Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon  said on Monday that any peace talks with Palestinian leaders  depended on whether they could rein in militants, who killed  five Israeli soldiers in Gaza in an attack on Sunday.
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An Israeli soldier and two Palestinian  militants were killed on Tuesday in the heaviest Gaza fighting  since Yasser Arafat's death, raising the prospect that renewed  violence could complicate a vote for his successor.
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Israel struck back with missiles at Gaza Strip militants Monday after five Israeli troops were killed in a resurgence of violence that has dented hopes of peace after Yasser Arafat&#39;s death.
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Israeli-Palestinian talks on security coordination scheduled after a ceasefire summit meeting were postponed on Thursday because of a fresh outbreak of violence, Palestinian officials said.
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RAFAH, Gaza Strip  - After years trapped in the  noisiest, most devastated flashpoint of conflict with Israel,  Palestinians are sleeping nights again.
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Militants in Hamas-ruled Gaza bombarded southern Israel with rockets Thursday and Israel pounded back with air and ground fire, the latest spate of violence that has pushed peace efforts to the sidelines.
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Israelis and Palestinians far from Tuesday's summit in Egypt expressed doubts whether a cease-fire declared by Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and President Mahmoud Abbas could end four years of bloodshed.
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For most Israelis, Yasser Arafat's death opens up new hope for an end to the violence.
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Mahmoud Abbas extended his hand in peace to Israel as he was sworn in as the new Palestinian leader Saturday, but the Israeli army killed eight Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and 46 election officials resigned over alleged ballot irregularities, crushing optimism for an early resumption of the peace process.
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Palestinian militant groups behind rocket attacks on Israel signaled softer terms for a truce on Friday, but Israel renewed strikes on Gaza targets, including a guardhouse outside the home of Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh.
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Palestinian gunmen rained mortar and rocket fire into Israeli settlements in Gaza on Thursday despite new President Mahmoud Abbas's formal truce declaration at a summit that revived Middle East peace hopes.
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As violence between the two main Palestinian factions has intensified, hopes are fading for a Palestinian national unity government &#151; seen as a precondition for renewed negotiations with Israel. Olmert is offering the Palestinians far-reaching concessions and a state of their own if they choose the path of peace talks.
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Tentative hopes for a revived peace process in the Israel-Palestinian conflict were shattered last night by the collapse of Ariel Sharon&#39;s parliamentary majority and the prospect
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CAIRO -- Arab countries are eyeing the chaos in Gaza with alarm, fearing that the Palestinian fighting could spread to the West Bank and further destabilize the region. The Arab League chief called yesterday for a cease-fire, warning of disaster otherwise.
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A Mideast peace summit designed to open a new chapter for Israelis and Palestinians fed up with violence concluded Monday with no new agreements and a pledge to keep talking.
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The death of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat a month ago appears to have created a new atmosphere for possible renewal of peace efforts in the Middle East.
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Israel will slow a planned pullback  from West Bank cities because of Gaza violence that has frayed  a de facto cease-fire and raised doubts Palestinians can keep  militants in check, officials said on Tuesday.