Palestinian baby dies from tear gas fired by Israel

An eight-month-old Palestinian boy died Friday after being exposed to tear gas fired by the Israeli army near his West Bank home, a spokesman for the Palestinian health ministry said.

Ramadan Thawabteh, died after the gas seeped into his house in Bethlehem not far from where clashes broke out between stone-throwing youths and Israeli soldiers.

The child's death comes after two Palestinians were shot dead by Israeli forces in two seperate incidents on Friday, while another was critically wounded.

Israeli police spokeswoman Luba Samri said the two Palestinians allegedly tried to stab Israeli police at a West Bank checkpoint on Friday, one of whom was shot dead while the other was wounded.

The alleged attack took place at a checkpoint leading into the city of Nablus in the occupied West Bank which has become the focal point of a surge in violence that first began in Jerusalem in September.

In another incident, a 23-year-old Palestinian was shot dead after allegedly "stabbing and lightly wounding two Israelis" in Jerusalem, the Israeli police and the army said.

The latest shootings brings the number of Palestinians killed by Israeli forces to 65. Many others have also been wounded.

Outrage over the killings sparked protests near the central West Bank city of Ramallah. Around 500 Palestinians protested and clashed with Israeli forces, according to witnesses. 

UN moves to revive Israeli-Palestinian talks

It is time for the international community to take a stand ... that would lead to a lasting peace between Palestine and Israel - Palestinian Prime Minister

Meanwhile, a draft UN resolution aimed at reviving Israeli-Palestinian peace talks has called for a freeze on Israeli settlements and halting moves to prosecute Israel at the International Criminal Court.

The text, drafted by New Zealand, has been circulated to the 15 Security Council members, as well as Israel and the Palestinians, diplomats said Thursday.

The measure is the latest attempt by the UN's top body to try to forge a consensus on the way forward in the Middle East peace process amid a new flareup of violence.

The draft resolution calls on Israelis and the Palestinians to end the violence, prepare for peace talks and declares the two-state solution to be the "only credible pathway to peace," according to the text seen by AFP.

But the text touches on two sensitive issues that are bound to raise hackles on both sides: Jewish settlements and Palestinians' push to prosecute Israel for war crimes at the ICC.

The 10-point measure urges both sides to refrain from action that could undermine the peace effort "including continued expansion of settlements and demolition of Palestinian homes in the occupied territories."

It also demands a halt to "referring a situation concerning Israel or the occupied Palestinian territories to the" ICC after the Palestinians joined the body this year.

New Zealand's initiative came after France circulated a draft for a council statement that failed to win agreement, highlighting difficulties to forge a consensus in the council.

The council has not adopted a resolution on the Israeli-Palestinian peace process since 2009 and its last formal statement dates back to September 17 when it urged calm at Jerusalem's flashpoint al-Aqsa Mosque.

Palestinian Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah said, "It is time for the international community to take a stand ... that would lead to a lasting peace between Palestine and Israel."

"We are against any killings, and we condemn any killings against any civilians," he said on a visit to The Hague.