2 Israeli men accidentally killed in friendly fire

PNEI HEVER, West Bank -- Israeli forces backed by a helicopter gunship mistakenly shot and killed two Israelis they believed to be Palestinian gunmen Thursday, the army said, and four Palestinians were killed in another incident.\nIn the village of Tamoun, near the West Bank city of Nablus, Israeli soldiers killed four Palestinians. Military sources, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Israeli forces entered the town to search for militants, and Palestinians opened fire. Soldiers returned the fire, killing four, and the operation was still in progress, the military said.\nIn another incident, an Israeli father and son were shot and seriously wounded in Jerusalem, near the line between Jewish and Arab sections, police and hospital officials. Police spokesman Shmuel Ben-Ruby said the attacker was apparently a Palestinian who opened fire on a car with a pistol.\nIn the remote West Bank hills about three miles southeast of the town of Hebron, Israeli forces were scouring the area because of intelligence warnings that Palestinians were planning an attack there, the army said in a statement.\nA foot patrol spotted an armed man getting into a car and, after the warnings failed to stop him from trying to drive away, shot and killed him with rifle fire, the army said.\nTroops spotted another armed man running from the car and radioed for backup from a helicopter gunship that shot and killed the man.\nBoth men were later identified as Israelis. The military expressed regret for the killings and said it was investigating.\nThe Web site of the Haaretz daily said the two men were security guards who kept watch over an antenna used for research, and that the men had pulled off to the side of the road to make coffee.\nBullets riddled a white station wagon's windshield, engine grill and hood. The word "security" was written in Hebrew letters on both doors and the hood of the vehicle.\nThe incident took place on a hillside road just outside the Jewish settlement of Pnei Hever. Spots of blood soaked the muddy ground and rescuers put the remains into plastic bags.\nIn the past 29 months of Israeli-Palestinian fighting, Israeli troops have killed dozens of wanted Palestinian militants in targeted attacks.\nPalestinian leader Yasser Arafat, meanwhile, delayed the signing of a bill that forces him to share power with a prime minister. Arafat asked for two procedural changes, including retaining the right to convene Cabinet ministers.\nIn the West Bank town of Ramallah, Arafat aides confirmed the Palestinian leader has asked for changes in legislation creating the post of prime minister.\nThe Palestinian legislature approved the bill Monday as part of U.S.-sought reform efforts aimed at curbing Arafat's sweeping powers. The prime minister will be able to form a new Cabinet and supervise the work of the ministers. The prime minister also convenes and chairs Cabinet meetings.\nAfter two readings in parliament, the bill was given to Arafat for a signature Tuesday.\nArafat, who holds the title of president of the Palestinian Authority, has asked that the president -- and not only the prime minister -- have the right to convene the Cabinet, and that the president can attend Cabinet meetings.\nThe legislature's next scheduled meeting is Monday.