GAZA CITY, Jan 26 (AFP) - Jewish settlers on Wednesday attacked a group of Israeli and Palestinian security officials as they gathered for talks in central Gaza, throwing stones and slashing tyres, police on both sides said.
"A group of settlers were protesting near Tufah checkpoint. They threw stones and slashed the tyres of two police jeeps but noone was hurt," a Palestinian police official told AFP, referring to a checkpoint near the southern town of Khan Yunis.
Israeli police spokesman Gil Kleiman said five settlers had been arrested during the confrontation.
"At a meeting, about 100 settlers started throwing rocks and attacking the army and Israeli and Palestinian police," he told AFP. "Noone was hurt but they slashed the tyres of the Palestinian and Israeli police cars."
The meeting was called to thrash out details of a deployment of Palestinian security forces in south and central Gaza with the aim of preventing militants from launching attacks against Jewish settlements and other Israeli targets.
Settlers are fiercely opposed to Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's plans for Israel to withdraw from the Gaza Strip.
01/26/2005 12:26 GMT - AFP