The Israeli army says Palestinian gunmen have shot and killed an Israeli woman near the West Bank town of Nablus.

The sources say the gunmen opened fire on the woman's car and shot her in the head late today (Saturday). The woman's son was taken to a hospital with light wounds.

Earlier, Israeli soldiers shot and wounded two Palestinian teenagers in a village near Nablus. That shooting came during clashes that erupted as Israeli soldiers conducted a house-to-house search for accomplices of a gunman who killed a Jewish settler, his daughter, and an Israeli soldier on Thursday.

Israeli reports said the two teenagers were throwing rocks at Israeli soldiers when they were shot. Israeli public radio said Israeli forces searching for suspected militants arrested 25 Palestinians in the village.

Meanwhile, European Union foreign ministers meeting in Caceres, Spain say Middle East peacemaking efforts should focus less on guaranteeing security and more on resolving the political aspects of the conflict. The ministers discussed a French proposal for Palestinian elections followed by Israeli recognition of a Palestinian state.

French Foreign Minister Hubert Vedrine said creation of a Palestinian state should be seen as a starting point of the negotiating process.

U.S. peace efforts have focused on halting the region's chronic violence before peace talks resume. A U.S. State Department spokesman said Friday that the United States believes the peace efforts should stay focused on proposals already on the table -- such as the ceasefire plans proposed last year by an international commission headed by former U.S. Senator George Mitchell.

(CR Carbajal, AP, Reuters, AFP, PREV)

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