Tough talk over West Bank clashes

Palestinians carry away a wounded youth

The views from the different camps on the violence in the West Bank varied widely, as reflected in the reactions of key figures speaking in the media.

The Palestinians are the people of the Intifadah

Palestinian police officer

Senior Palestinian police officer Ghazi al-Jabali reflected the mood of the demonstrators.

He described the protests as "an expression of popular indignation".

They were, he told Voice of Palestine radio, "a message from the Palestinian people that they are alive, that they are the people of the Intifadah".

He warned the Israeli Government that if it failed to honour its commitments "more and much greater action will be taken".

And he defended the role of the Palestinian police in their efforts "to shield citizens at contact lines against the reckless Israeli troops".

Top Israeli army officer Gen Moshe Ya'alon however said that the Palestinian police had not acted to curb the violence in spite of Israeli demands that they do so.

Arafat: not to blame

"IDF soldiers evinced restraint and used riot control measures."

Israeli Deputy Defence Minister Efrayim Sneh took a conciliatory line, hailing Israeli "restraint", but adding that the Palestinian side was trying to contain the incidents.

"I don't think [Palestinian leader Yasser] Arafat is interested in or gave his approval to opening fire," he told Israeli army radio.

He pointed the finger of blame elsewhere.

"There are elements in the field who are far more radical than the Palestinian authority and who for various reasons want either to embarrass it, to ignite the field or not to lose their political status."

Let us... turn the land into fire under the feet of the Zionists

Hamas

The Islamic Resistance Movement Hamas on its web site hailed the Palestinians who died in the clashes and issued a call for further resistance.

"Let us confront the occupiers with our naked chests and the stones of our blessed land so as to turn the land into fire under the feet of the Zionists."

BBC Monitoring (http://www.monitor.bbc.co.uk), based in Caversham in southern England, selects and translates information from radio, television, press, news agencies and the Internet from 150 countries in more than 70 languages.