Israeli soldier, two gunmen killed in clash near Jordan

JERUSALEM -- An Israeli soldier and two gunmen died Tuesday in a clash on farm land leased to Israel by Jordan. The bloodshed on a usually peaceful border was the worst incident on a dreary Christmas in the Holy Land that saw more confrontation than celebration.

Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat spent the day in his West Bank headquarters in Ramallah, trapped by a travel ban imposed by Israel to pressure him to arrest the assassins of an Israeli Cabinet minister. Israel faced nearly universal criticism for its move.

Elsewhere, a top Palestinian official said discussions were continuing with Israel on stopping 15 months of fighting, and Israel said it would lift a closure on the West Bank town of Jericho. But Israeli troops entered another town and arrested seven Palestinians.

The violence on the Israel-Jordan border was a rarity. Though Jordan's population is heavily Palestinian, there have been few incidents during the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

Just after daybreak, gunmen in Jordan fired at an Israeli border patrol near an area leased from Jordan by Israeli farmers, wounding two Israeli soldiers, the Israeli military said.

Israel rushed in reinforcements, and a gunbattle resulted in one Israeli soldier being killed and two wounded. Later, Israeli soldiers found the bodies of two armed assailants, the Israeli military said. It was unclear who they were.

Israeli infantrymen, armored vehicles and helicopters took part in the fight, which Israel's military said was coordinated with the Jordanian government.

The only major incident on the Jordanian border in recent years was in 1997, when a deranged Jordanian soldier fired at Israeli schoolgirls visiting "Peace Island" in a jointly controlled area. Seven girls were killed.

Lifting Jericho blockade

Later Tuesday, Israel's Defense Ministry said it was lifting a blockade around Jericho, a Palestinian town in the Jordan River Valley that is isolated from other Palestinian centers and is a relatively peaceful area.

Israeli troops have been holding Palestinian towns in a chokehold throughout the uprising, tightening it earlier this month after a series of Palestinian suicide attacks on Israelis. The restrictions prevent Palestinians from traveling between their autonomous zones and have crippled the Palestinian economy.

Israel has offered to lift the restrictions in places where Palestinians are prepared to control violent groups.

On Tuesday evening, Israeli soldiers barred journalists from covering a demonstration by Palestinians and some supporters from abroad who were singing Christmas carols while sitting on the road at the checkpoint between Jerusalem and Bethlehem. The Foreign Press Association protested the closure, which was lifted after the demonstration.

Before daybreak, Israeli tanks and soldiers entered the West Bank town of Tamoun and arrested seven suspected members of the militant group Hamas, which has taken responsibility for many suicide bombings inside Israel.