DATE= 03/24/02

TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT

TITLE= ISRAEL / PALESTINIANS (LONG)

NUMBER=2-287911

BYLINE= ROSS DUNN

DATELINE=

CONTENT=

VOICED AT:

INTRO: Palestinian militants have shot dead an Israeli woman riding in a car in the West Bank, undermining U-S efforts to broker a cease-fire agreement. Ross Dunn in Jerusalem has more on the story.

TEXT: Palestinian gunmen in a passing vehicle opened fire on the woman's car, as she was traveling near the West Bank town of Ramallah.

She was wounded and died a short time later.

An Israeli soldier was also wounded when he tried to stop the car carrying the assailants.

Israeli security forces combed the area, fearing the gunmen are planning more attacks.

In a separate incident on Saturday, two Palestinians tossed hand-grenades as they tried to storm a military outpost in the northern Gaza Strip before being shot and killed by Israeli soldiers.

Israel's police are also on high alert following warnings of possible terror strikes inside the Jewish State.

Large numbers of police have been deployed in various parts of Jerusalem, which has been the target of numerous attacks since the start of Israeli-Palestinian clashes 18 months ago.

The most recent was on Thursday, when a Palestinian suicide bomber detonated an explosive device in the downtown area, killing three people and himself and injuring more than 80.

Warnings of more such attacks came ahead of planned talks Sunday between Israeli and Palestinian security chiefs under the supervision of U-S envoy, Anthony Zinni.

Mr. Zinni is hoping to convince the sides to start implementing a cease-fire agreement drawn up last year by the head of the U-S Central Intelligence Agency, George Tenet.

ROSS DUNN FOR VOA NEWS JERUSALEM.

NEB/RD/RH