Israeli forces pulled out of Bethlehem on Tuesday, in a widely acclaimed gesture, but two Palestinians and an Israeli soldier were killed soon after underlining the fragility of a deal seen as a test case for a lasting ceasefire.The agreement, sealed by Palestinian and Israeli negotiators on Sunday, called for Israel to ease its military clamp down in Bethlehem and the Gaza Strip in return for a reduction in ‘‘terror and violence.’’Thousands of people filled the streets of Bethlehem, enjoying their first full day out after about two months under Israeli military curfew. However, in a sign that obstacles remain, the militant Islamic group Hamas — which rejected the deal and vowed to continue its attacks on Israel — shot dead a soldier guarding a Jewish settlement in the Gaza Strip.Israeli troops killed a 15-year-old Palestinian youth in the same area, and soldiers raiding a refugee camp in Tulkarm shot dead a man the Army said had explosives and had fired at them. An Israeli Army spokesman said soldiers detained 15 suspected militants in Tulkarm and 13 others elsewhere in the West Bank.The violence raised questions about whether the new deal, praised by Washington and seen as a pilot for further moves toward a full ceasefire, would meet the same fate as earlier failed efforts to staunch 22 months of bloodshed. The killings occurred shortly after Israeli forces turnedover security control of Bethlehem to the Palestinians. (Reuters)
