[Judy Woodruff, Cnn Anchor:] Two Palestinians died following fresh clashes with Israeli forces in the West Bank and Gaza Tuesday, bringing the total number of casualties to more than 135. CNN's Jerrold Kessel reports that hopes of peace are fading as the violence continues.
[Jerrold Kessel, Cnn Correspondent:] No let-up in the clashes, this one in Hebron on the West Bank. The Israeli army says it's gearing up for prolonged confrontations and hardening positions on both sides on how to break the cycle of violence.
[Saeb Erekat, Chief Palestinians Negotiator:] It's independence and freedom we're seeking from them. We want to be equal partners. We want to be equal neighbors.
[Gilead Sher, Chief Israeli Negotiator:] There is an agreement within reach, but it won't be a dictated agreement to Israel. It won't be agreement that is achieved under fire.
[Kessel:] With the confrontation coming as close as this neighborhood on Jerusalem's southeastern outskirts, Israelis are having difficulty adjusting. Not long ago, a peace settlement with the Palestinians was said to be in sight. Now, they're told, the future is full of conflict.
[Chemi Shalev, Israeli Political Analyst:] Most people have sort of given up hope on the peace process, on the one hand, and don't believe in a solution by force, on the other hand. So we have now this great centrist bloc which doesn't really know what to do with itself.
[Kessel:] Against the backdrop of that uncertainty, Israeli political uncertainty, Prime Minister Ehud Barak still seeking to shore up his position by co-opting the right-wing opposition under Ariel Sharon. But it's a struggle. Mr. Sharon and his fellow Likud leaders are holding out for the right to veto any new direction Mr. Barak might seek either on the battleground or at the negotiating table.
[Sylvan Shalom, Likud Knesset Member:] We will not let him play with us. We will do everything to knock him down if the negotiations will not succeed. It's not that we're going there to save the Barak regime. We will join only if it will be an emergency.
[Kessel:] Mr. Barak pays little heed to critics who say Mr. Sharon's inclusion would be the death knell for the peace process. He insists this is an emergency. "We cannot force the Palestinians to make agreements with us," the Israeli leader says. "But that forces us to stand forcefully for our position, and to stand together," he adds. [on camera]: Beyond the violence and the political maneuvering, two looming deadlines. Next Monday, the Israeli Knesset reassembles to determine the fate of Ehud Barak's minority government. And two weeks after that, on November 15th, the mini-Palestinian parliament is slated to decide on a long-delayed declaration of a Palestinian independent state. Jerrold Kessel, CNN, Jerusalem.