Seven killed on anniversary of fighting

JERUSALEM -- Pledging to sustain their uprising against Israel, thousands of Palestinians marched Friday in the West Bank and Gaza Strip to mark the anniversary of the fighting. Elsewhere, six Palestinians were killed by Israeli fire, but the bloodshed did not derail efforts to implement a truce.

A seventh Palestinian died when a bomb he was preparing exploded prematurely.

In addition to the deaths, at least 40 Palestinians and six Israelis were hurt in confrontations reminiscent in scope of the early days of the fighting.

The two sides traded blame for the violence, but said they would go ahead with truce provisions, despite deep skepticism. The cease-fire terms were worked out earlier this week in talks between Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres and Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat.

Security commanders from both sides met Friday, and Israel said that in a first step, it would ease some of its security blockades of Palestinian towns.

The United States has been pressing both sides to end the fighting that has claimed 655 lives on the Palestinian side and 177 on the Israeli side.

Washington wants calm in the Middle East in order to win Arab and Muslim support for a campaign against Islamic militants believed to be behind the Sept. 11 terror attacks in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania.