Last night, an Israeli car driving down Highway 60, a busy route used by both Palestinians and Jewish settlers, was shot at from a passing vehicle. Four people were killed, two men and two women, one of whom was pregnant, all from the same family, ages ranging 25 to 40.

Israeli security forces said the attack was a pre-planned and launched a manhunt to find the perpetrators. In Hebron, the Palestinian National Authority arrested dozens of known members of Hamas.

The attack came on the eve of direct talks between Israeli and Palestinian leaders scheduled to start tomorrow in Washington, and was meant to prevent peace between the two sides, which all parties must strive for "to achieve a just and lasting peace in the region", a US statement said.

Tomorrow’s talks come after a long period of “indirect” talks under US mediation.

Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu said that those responsible for yesterday’s attack would be punished, insisting that talks would not be cancelled.

In its latest survey, the Palestinian Center for Public Opinion found 31.7 per cent of the Palestinian public are in favour of those talks, compared to 31.1 who back a freeze on negotiations.

However, and this despite strong White House pressure for a deal, two Palestinians in three (65.8 per cent) do not believe US President Barack Obama can deliver on an independent Palestinian state. Only 32.3 per cent believe he can.

More than half of respondents (54.8 per cent) would prefer a two-state solution with a Palestinian state alongside Israel in peace and harmony. Only 26.7 per cent wants a bi-national state all over Palestine in which Israelis and Palestinians enjoy equal representation and equal rights.

For 4.9 per cent of respondents, there is no solution for this conflict.