RAMALLAH, West Bank - A senior Palestinian official says Israel's prime minister scuttled a secret meeting last week meant to head off a looming diplomatic showdown at the United Nations.
Yasser Abed Rabbo says Israeli President Shimon Peres asked his Palestinian counterpart, Mahmoud Abbas, to meet to discuss the Palestinians' plan to seek U.N. recognition of their independence in September.
He says Peres promised to bring creative ideas for defusing the crisis.
Abed Rabbo says Abbas traveled to neighboring Jordan for the secret meeting last Thursday, but at the last minute Peres called to cancel, saying Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu opposed the meeting.
Israel opposes the Palestinians' U.N. initiative.
Both Peres' and Netanyahu's offices declined comment.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.
RAMALLAH, West Bank (AP) — A Palestinian health official says Israeli troops have killed two Palestinian men in clashes at a West Bank refugee camp.
Ramallah hospital director Dr. Mohammed Edeh says one man was shot in the head and the other in the abdomen.
A Palestinian security official says the men were involved in rock-throwing and scuffles with Israeli soldiers who had come to the Qalandiya refugee camp around dawn Monday on an arrest raid. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to brief the media.
The Israeli military said unrest broke out during an arrest raid and that the military was informed that two Palestinians were injured.
The military frequently carries out arrest raids in the West Bank
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