Two Palestinian Authority police officers were moderately wounded on Thursday night after being shot by Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade gunmen in the West Bank city of Nablus.

The gunmen opened fire after a dispute broke out over a stolen car.

Clashes started in Nablus on Wednesday after PA security forces began dismantling stalls illegally set up by merchants.

Earlier on Thursday evening, Israel Defense Forces soldiers shot and seriously wounded a Palestinian youth throwing a firebomb at an Israeli vehicle north of Ramallah, Israel Radio reported.

The incident took place in Wadi Haramiya while soldiers were chasing two Palestinians throwing firebombs.

An Israel Air Force helicopter evacuated the wounded Palestinian to a hospital in Israel.

Elite troops kill militants near Jenin

Two Palestinian members of the military wing of the ruling Fatah party were killed on Thursday during an Israel Defense Forces operation near the West Bank city of Jenin.

The clash erupted after IDF special forces set up a roadblock. The two, Mohammed Zaid and Ahmed Abahra, both 18, tried to drive around the barrier in their car. The soldiers then opened fire and killed the militants.

According to the IDF, Abahra was armed with a pistol. The two were connected to Islamic Jihad and were involved in attacks against the army, the IDF said.

Palestinian officials blamed Israel for the killing.

"I want to condemn this Israeli escalation and warn of the serious collapse of the cessation of violence between the two sides," Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat said. "I hope that the Israeli election campaign will not be marked by more Palestinian blood."

Palestinians stage mass march, flouting weapons ban

Meanwhile, about 1,000 militants brandishing assault rifles and rocket launchers marched through Gaza City on Thursday and vowed to hold on to their arms, defying a Palestinian Authority ban on public displays of weapons.

Members of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs´ Brigades, a violent offshoot of Fatah, fired into the air while their leaders made speeches insisting on the right to bear arms against Israel.

The arms ban officially went into effect two months ago days after an explosion at a rally for the militant group Hamas killed 25 people. Hamas blamed Israel, but Palestinian investigators said the blast was set off when militants mishandled explosives they were displaying at the rally.

Al-Aqsa spokesman Zakariye Assouli said the group supported the PA´s efforts to stop internal violence while reserving the right to avenge Israeli attacks.

"We respect our brothers in the political leadership," Assouli said. "We honor their commitments, but they can´t ask us to watch daily Israeli aggression and to remain silent."

Terrorist involved in killing Israelis sentenced to three life terms In a separate incident, the Judea district military court on Thursday sentenced a Palestinian terrorist to three life terms and an additional thirty years for his involvement in two shooting attacks in which four Israelis were killed and three were wounded.

Mohammed Mahmoud of the West Bank town of Ramallah was convicted of being involved in a shooting attack at the British Police Junction north of Jerusalem in 2000 in which three Israelis were killed and two were wounded.

He was also involved in a shooting attack at the French Hill Junction in Jerusalem in 2001 in which one man was wounded. Mahmoud is a member of the Fatah-linked Tanzim militant group.

Military prosecution also served an indictment against the two killers of Israeli citizen Sasson Nuriel, who was abducted and murdered some two months ago.

The two were part of a terrorist cell of the Hamas militant group that intended to abduct him and negotiate his return. But they killed him after fearing they would be caught. (© Copyright 2005 Haaretz. 11/17/05)