Anthony Zinni

 General Zinni's first stop will be in Jerusalem. His two previous attempts to achieve a ceasefire in recent months have failed. 

Early Thursday, some Israeli tanks began pulling out of the West Bank Palestinian town of Ramallah, after a bloody two-day siege that followed repeated Palestinian terror attacks in Israel. 

Hours earlier, President Bush criticized recent Israeli military attacks against Palestinians as detrimental to efforts to find peace. However, Mr. Bush said he believes the passage of a U.N. resolution Tuesday that, for the first time, specifically mentions the idea of a Palestinian state could help the new Zinni mission and lead to a more peaceful world. U.S. Secretary Colin Powell also called Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat ahead of the Zinni mission.

 Deaths were reported on both sides Wednesday but at a much lower scale than in recent days. Israeli gunfire killed a Palestinian security officer in Ramallah and a Palestinian gunman in the Gaza Strip. Israeli forces also killed an Italian photojournalist in Ramallah. Israel expressed regret over that death. Meanwhile, Palestinian gunmen killed an Israeli soldier in Ramallah. 

This month, more than 160 Palestinians and nearly 60 Israelis have been killed in Palestinian attacks, suicide bombings and Israeli reprisals.
 
 

Some information for this report provided by Reuters.

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