51.  Tanks also fired shells at Palestinian positions in Beit Jalla.

52.  The army said forces were responding to fire from the Palestinian position towards a nearby army outpost.

53.  The Israeli military said it used armor to destroy the Palestinian positions, but it had no word on any Palestinian casualties.

54.  The Palestinian position is that absolute calm is not possible, and peace talks should resume as soon as possible.

55.  The outline adheres to long-standing Palestinian positions, such as seeking traditionally Arab east Jerusalem as capital of a Palestinian state, but softens some positions in writing.

56.  The Palestinian Authority has also called on a committee of Arab ministers meeting in Cairo on Thursday to give their backing to the Palestinian position.

57.  The official Palestinian position is carefully measured, stating that all efforts should be made to find a diplomatic solution.

58.  The Palestinian position received at least partial backing from a study sent to Congress by U.S. officials in Israel.

59.  The Palestinian position appeared to contradict U.S. State Department spokesman James Rubin, who said this week that Israel and the Palestinians accepted the U.S. proposal in principle.

60.  The Palestinians, however, are not interested in any more interim steps, wrote Abed Rabbo in a two-page explanation of the Palestinian negotiating position.