A local commander of the Islamic Jihad died Thursday during an Israeli raid in the West Bank town of Tulkarem, according to press reports. Israeli soldiers shot Fadel Balawneh after surrounding his home, members of Islamic Jihad said. Balawneh then fell from a second-story window and broke his neck, they added.
Meanwhile, Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas and Israel's Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni met Thursday on the sidelines of a high-profile international conference in Switzerland to explore ways to resume talks, an Abbas aide said.
Yasser Abed Rabbo, who is in Davos with Abbas, told The Associated Press in a telephone interview that Abbas would meet with Livni in an effort to push forward recent efforts to get negotiations back on track. On Thursday, Abbas met behind closed doors with German Chancellor Angela Merkel to discuss efforts aimed at reviving the peacemaking efforts.
