Sporadic fighting marks 4th day of violence in Gaza, West Bank

In this story: Palestinian police, Israeli troops trade fire Israelis accused of 'pre-meditated murder' Control of sacred sites the catalyst U.N. leader concerned Saudi Arabia blames Israel Lebanese decry Sharon RELATED STORIES, SITES

From staff and wire reports

JERUSALEM -- Hours after some of the worst violence in four years, authorities reported scattered, minor clashes Sunday in the West Bank and Gaza.

Some reports indicated top Israelis military officials contacted Palestinian leaders in the night to try to resolve clashes that have killed at least 17 in recent days. The Palestinians, however, denied there had been any meeting with the military.

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak called Palestinian Authority President Yasser Arafat overnight in a bid to resolve the fighting, which has pitted thousands of Palestinians armed with rocks as well as armed weapons against gun-toting Israeli soldiers. There was no immediate indication of a resolution to the fighting.

ALSO Albright asks Arafat, Barak to ease Jerusalem tensions    VIDEO Clashes and comments from Gaza and the West Bank Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media)     GALLERY Holy site violence     AUDIO Shaath accuses Israel of excessive force 286 K/30 sec. AIFF or WAV sound

The protests were sparked by Israel's right-wing Likud party leader Ariel Sharon's visit Thursday to Jerusalem's Temple Mount -- known to Muslims as Haram as-Sharif (Noble Sanctuary) and the third holiest shrine in Islam.

Palestinian police, Israeli troops trade fire

Saturday's clashes left at least nine people dead and hundreds of Palestinians injured, CNN Jerusalem Bureau Chief Mike Hanna reports. Israeli soldiers and police officers were also injured.

At one point, Palestinian police in uniform and plainclothes exchanged fire with Israeli troops near the Jewish settlement of Netzarim in Gaza.

Earlier Saturday, a group of Palestinians attacked Netzarim with stones and Molotov cocktails, Israeli Defense Forces said.

Among those killed was 14-year-old Palestinian Khaled el-Bazian, shot by Israeli soldiers in the West Bank town of Nablus, according to Palestinian hospital officials.

Most of the people killed were Palestinians. An Israeli soldier was shot dead Friday in the West Bank city of Kalkilya, apparently by a Palestinian policeman.

Israelis accused of 'pre-meditated murder'

Palestinian leaders were accusing Israel of using excessive force while a government spokesman says the Israeli Defense Forces' goal is to protect Israelis and Israeli settlements.

Palestinian leaders had expressed outrage at Israel's use of sniper riflemen to target protest leaders.

"There was no use of the proper instruments of so-called riot control," said Palestinian peace negotiator Nabil Shaath. "This was pre-meditated murder of people shot by snipers. That escalates the situation to a very dangerous situation."

David Tzur, a spokesman for Israeli's Ministry of Public Security, disagreed.

"I'm rejecting Mr. Shaath, what he said," Tzur told CNN. "I think we were very cautious in our steps..."

Tzur said protesters had been playing a "dangerous game" and called for calm.

"Some of the demonstrations now in territories, especially inside Jerusalem -- the east part of Jerusalem -- we think is like an orchestra is being controlled," Tzur said.

Control of sacred sites the catalyst

The intense fighting follows the failure of the Mideast peace negotiations to resolve one of the most contentious of issues -- the final status of Jerusalem and its holy sites.

The mayhem was sparked on Thursday, after Sharon's visit to the Temple Mount, or Noble Sanctuary.

Temple Mount is home to Judaism's holiest site, the Western Wall of the biblical Temple, and two mosques -- Al Aqsa and Dome of the Rock -- that mark the spot where tradition has it that the Prophet Mohammed ascended to heaven.

The Palestinians want east Jerusalem as the capital of their state, while the Israelis demand that the city remain undivided and under their control. As for the Temple Mount, neither side will grant the other sole control, and both are uneasy with shared control.

"We are here because we here humiliated in the heart of our most sacred place," said 17-year-old Hassa Abu Ali. He wore a Palestinian flag around his head as he threw stones at Israeli soldiers.

U.N. leader concerned

Saturday's explosion of Palestinian-Israeli violence came as Jews marked their traditional New Year, or Rosh Hashana, and Palestinians were to observe a day of mourning for those killed in earlier protests.

In New York, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan telephoned Barak and Arafat on Friday.

"He expressed his concern over the recent violence in Jerusalem and urged the leaders to do everything they can to reduce tensions, restore security and continue to work towards a peaceful settlement of the remaining issues that divide them," U.N. spokesman Fred Eckhard said.

Arafat arrived in Cairo to discuss the violence with Egypt's Hosni Mubarak, a close ally of Washington.

Egyptian radio reported Mubarak had issued a statement blaming "provocative Israeli actions" for Friday's clashes in Jerusalem.

Palestinian negotiator Shaath was to leave Sunday to meet with foreign ministers of Luxembourg, France, Britain, Ireland and Belgium and top European Union officials to brief them on the bloodshed.

Saudi Arabia blames Israel

Saudi Arabia, another staunch ally of the United States and supporter of Washington's role as Middle East peace broker, put the blame for the violence squarely on Israel.

"Saudi Arabia condemns the brutal assaults inflicted on Palestinian citizens in Jerusalem by Israeli occupation forces," the Saudi Press Agency quoted an official statement as saying on Friday night.

Saudi Arabia is the birthplace of Islam and home to the world's two main Muslim shrines.

Persian Gulf media railed against the "horrific massacre" of Palestinians in Jerusalem and one newspaper in Qatar said the killings showed Israel was still the Arabs' foe.

"The events prove that Israel was neither a neighbor nor a peace partner. It is no more than an enemy," Al-Sharq's editorial said.

Lebanese decry Sharon

In south Lebanon on Saturday, thousands of Palestinian refugees demonstrated against the killings. They marched through Ain el-Hilweh, the biggest refugee camp in Lebanon, chanting anti-Israeli slogans and burning an effigy of Sharon.

"Sharon, we will never forget your massacres in Sabra and Shatila. The Aqsa mosque (in Jerusalem) is Arab and will remain Arab," read one banner.

In 1983 an Israeli inquiry found Sharon indirectly responsible for the killing of hundreds of Palestinian refugees in Sabra and Shatila refugee camps in Beirut. He was defense minister at the time, during an Israeli invasion of Lebanon.

CNN Jerusalem Bureau Chief Mike Hanna, CNN Correspondent Jerrold Kessel, The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.

Violence escalates between Palestinians, Israeli troops
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Israeli troops, Palestinians clash after Sharon visits Jerusalem sacred site
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