Israel and Palestinians pledge to reduce violence
The Israeli government and the Palestinian Authority have announced a joint commitment to take immediate steps to end a surge in violence.
The move has emerged from rare talks in Jordan, also attended by US and Egyptian officials.
The meeting agreed to support confidence-building steps and "to work towards a just and lasting peace".
As the talks took place, a Palestinian gunman shot dead two Israelis in the occupied West Bank.
The Israeli military said it was pursuing the gunman and reinforcing troop numbers in the West Bank, deploying two additional battalions. It confirmed that one of those killed in the village of Hawara, near Nablus, was a soldier.
Israel's government described the killings in Hawara as "a Palestinian terror attack".
Hours after Sunday's shooting, a large group of settlers entered the same village and began throwing stones and setting trees and cars alight.
At least 15 houses and a number of cars have been burned, according to Palestinian sources. Several families had to be evacuated from their homes.
The Palestinian Red Crescent emergency service said hundreds were injured.
Nearby in the West Bank, in Za'tara, a Palestinian man was killed after being shot when Israeli settlers and soldiers entered the village, Palestinian health officials say.
The summit in the Red Sea resort of Aqaba was called following a recent rise in deadly violence that has stoked fears of a wider conflict.
It brought together Israeli and Palestinian security chiefs for the first time in many years. The US president's top Middle East adviser, Brett McGurk, was also present.
The first point of the summit's communique read: "The two sides [Palestinian and Israeli] affirmed their commitment to all previous agreements between them, and to work towards a just and lasting peace.
"They reaffirmed the necessity of committing to de-escalation on the ground and to prevent further violence."
According to the statement, Israel made a commitment to stop discussing new settlement building for four months. In return, it is understood the Palestinians will not take action against Israel at the UN.
FULL ARTICLE AT: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-64779504
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