2 die in clash over barrier

There was an outcry over an Israeli raid on three Ramallah banks.
RAMALLAH, West Bank (AP) -- Israeli soldiers shot and killed two Palestinians during violent protests against Israel's West Bank barrier today, and two Palestinian gunmen killed an Israeli soldier at a Gaza Strip crossing before being gunned down by troops.
The West Bank protesters were trying to block construction workers from putting up a new section of fencing, signaling a new tactic in the fight against the barrier. In the past, demonstrators generally did not confront Israeli work crews. Today's clashes marked the first time Palestinians were killed in an anti-barrier protest.
The violence came a day after Israeli forces raided three banks in the West Bank city of Ramallah and carted away between $6.7 million and $8.9 million they said was earmarked for terrorism. Palestinian officials feared the raid would destroy faith in the banking system.
Violent demonstration
In the anti-barrier protest in the West Bank village of Bidou, about 1,000 demonstrators threw stones at a jeep and bulldozers trying to prepare the ground for the erection of the partition, residents said. Troops responded with live fire, rubber bullets and tear gas, and the work was eventually stopped, witnesses said.
Bidou Mayor Mohammed Kandil said two Palestinians were killed. Eleven demonstrators were injured, including three who were in serious condition, hospital officials said.
Ali Daoud, 24, said he had been throwing stones when he was shot in the right leg by a sniper from a distance of about 30 yards. "We were trying to prevent them from continuing the work on our land, but we found more than 200 soldiers there," he said from his hospital bed.
A second demonstration in the nearby village of Beit Surik also turned violent, witnesses said.
Police spokesman Gil Kleiman said six police were wounded in the clashes and three of them were sent to the hospital. The army, which was also there, had no immediate comment.
Barrier issue
The barrier, which Israel says is needed to keep out suicide bombers, infuriates Palestinians who say its planned route, dipping deep into the West Bank, is a land grab meant to prevent them from establishing a state.
Three days of hearings on the issue at the world court ended Wednesday, with the judges expected to hand down a nonbinding opinion in the coming months.
The Gaza attack began about 6 a.m. local time when two Palestinians with assault rifles and hand grenades attacked Israeli soldiers at the Erez crossing, which is used by Palestinian workers to get from Gaza to Israel. Palestinian sources reported an hourlong, intense exchange of fire between the gunmen and soldiers. An Israeli soldier was killed, the army said.
The Al Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades, a militant group linked to Yasser Arafat's Fatah movement, claimed responsibility. In response to the attack, Israel closed the crossing.
On Jan. 14, a female suicide bomber killed four Israeli guards at Erez. After that attack, Israel tightened security at the crossing, causing long delays for the 19,000 Palestinian workers with permits to cross into Israel.
Raids on banks
In the bank raids Wednesday, Israelis sifted through 390 accounts -- some linked to Hamas and Islamic Jihad. The money taken from the banks corresponded to the amounts found in the targeted accounts, Israeli officials said.
Palestinians denounced the unprecedented raid, with Prime Minister Ahmed Qureia likening it to a mafia operation.
Finance Minister Salam Fayad worried it would lead to a run on banks. However, the banks appeared to have only their normal daily crowds this morning.
The U.S. State Department also criticized the raid, saying there was a risk it would destabilize the Palestinian banking system. Spokesman Richard Boucher said it would be better if Israel coordinated with the Palestinians on freezing and seizing funds earmarked for militant attacks.
Israeli Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz said the money was "the fuel for Palestinian terror."
The funds taken from the banks would instead be used to ease the lives of Palestinians, battered by 41 months of violence. The money would go to Palestinian health services, school transport, food and improving infrastructure at Israeli roadblocks and checkpoints, Mofaz said. Palestinians demand that the barriers be removed, not improved.