Israeli and Palestinian ministers met Monday in the latest in a series of top-level talks since last month's landmark peace summit but clashes in the West Bank clouded an informal cease-fire. Amid moves to defrost contacts that were frozen after a Palestinian suicide attack in Tel Aviv on February 25, Israeli Interior Minister Ophir Pines met his newly appointed Palestinian counterpart Nasr Yusef in Jerusalem.
The two agreed to strengthen co-operation and set up joint working committees to discuss ongoing issues, such as the West Bank separation barrier and permits for Palestinian workers to enter Israel, Pines's office said.
But the Israeli minister cautioned that progress would be limited without any concrete developments in the struggle against Palestinian militants.
"We have great interest in deepening co-operation on civilian issues but it will be difficult without seeing progress in the Palestinian struggle against terror elements," Pines said.
It was their first meeting since Yusef was last month appointed the sole man in charge of the sprawling Palestinian security apparatus.
One day earlier, Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erakat and top Ariel Sharon aide Dov Weisglass reactivated the Israeli-Palestinian committees tasked with following up on promises made at last month's Middle East summit in Egypt.
A Palestinian official said the talks would take place on Tuesday, but the Israeli defence ministry confirmed only that they would be "in coming days".
Despite the air of cautious optimism, two Israeli border policemen were wounded Monday as Palestinian gunmen opened fire at them in the southern West Bank town of Al-Khalil, witnesses and the army said.
One of the policemen was seriously wounded in the incident near the Tomb of the Patriarchs - a shrine holy to both Jews and Muslims. Elsewhere, a nine-year-old Palestinian child was killed and another injured when a disused grenade exploded as they played in a field near the West Bank town of Jericho, a Palestinian security source said.
Israeli judicial sources announced that police in February arrested a 20-year-old Arab Israeli on suspicion of planning an attack against the Israeli parliament, an army base and to kidnap a soldier. He is to be indicted next week.