Israel said on Monday that it will suspend contacts with the Palestinian National Authority (PNA), one day after three Israeli settlers were killed by Palestinian militants in a West Bank settlement.

The cabinet has decided to suspend contacts with the Palestinians, Israeli security sources said.

Palestinian militants killed three Israelis and wounded four others on Sunday in a drive-by shooting attack outside the Gush Etzion Jewish settlement bloc in the West Bank.

Shortly after the attack, the militants opened fire at another West Bank settlement of Eli, wounding one Israeli.

Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades, an armed offshoot of the Palestinian mainstream Fatah movement, claimed responsibility for the two shooting attacks.

The fresh violence punctured a de facto truce between the Palestinians and Israel and overshadowed a summit between Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas, which is due in early November.

Source: Xinhua