In Israel and the Occupied Territories, four Palestinians have been killed in a pair of Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip. Three Palestinians died earlier today when Israeli warplanes bombed a tunnel along Gaza’s border with Egypt. A Palestinian farmer was killed and another Palestinian wounded in a separate Israeli attack. The killings come as the Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad has unveiled a plan to declare a provisional Palestinian state within the next two years. On Monday, Palestinian Authority spokesperson Nabil Abu Rudeineh said the Israeli government is preventing meaningful peace talks.

Nabil Abu Rudeineh: “The Palestinians are ready. We are committed to the peace process. We are committed to the Road Map, to the Arab Peace Initiative, to the vision of President Obama and the Road Map. If the Israelis are serious, we are ready. And the basis for these negotiations should be based on the two previous demands of the Road Map and of President Obama.”