US condemns Hamas bid to derail Israel-Palestine peace summit

Palestinian security forces today arrested 150 members of Hamas, the Islamic militant organisation, after four Israelis were shot dead in the West Bank.

Israeli troops sealed off the scene of the shooting, in the town of Hebron.

Responsibility for the attack was claimed by the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas which vehemently opposes the new Middle East peace talks in Washington tomorrow between Israel prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas.

Mr Netanyahu, before a meeting with US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, said: "We witnessed today a savage murder of four innocent Israelis. There are seven new orphans that were added to the circle of grief in Israel. We will not let the blood of Israeli civilians go unpunished."

White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said: "This brutal attack underscores how far the enemies of peace will go to try to block progress. It is crucial that the parties persevere, keep moving forward even through difficult times, and continue working to achieve a just and lasting peace in the region that provides security for all peoples."

Israeli settlers in the West Bank said they will break a government freeze on building in their communities in protest.

The Yesha Council, which represents settlers, said: "This attack again proved that despite what might be going on in Washington right now, the Palestinians have no goal to create a peaceful state for themselves but are entirely driven to destroy our state and our people."

Naftali Bennett, Yesha director told Israel radio: "We will start work this evening and build all across Judea and Samaria," calling the West Bank by its biblical name.

Israel has imposed a 10-month moratorium on building West Bank settlements in an effort to get negotiations with the Palestinians back on track.

Mr Abbas and Mr Netanyahu will have separate meetings with President Obama today. Then, joined by Jordan's King Abdullah and Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak, they will attend a White House dinner to set the stage for tomorrow's talks, the first in 20 months. Jordan and Egypt are the only two Arab nations to have peace deals with Israel.

Israel captured the West Bank from Jordan in the 1967 war and Jewish settlers began building there soon afterwards. The future of the 100 settlements will be one of the toughest issues during the negotiations.