Victims on both sides sceptical on Mideast peace

By Rebecca Harrison and Haitham Tamimi

JERUSALEM/HEBRON, West Bank (Reuters) - Israeli Yfat Alon and Palestinian Radi Abu Eisha both view themselves as victims of hatred. And both scoff at talk of peace.

Alon's mother and niece were killed by a Palestinian suicide bomber. Abu Eisha watched his sick brother die when an ambulance was blocked by Israeli soldiers running just the sort of security controls Alon says are vital to prevent more attackers reaching Israel.

As their leaders prepare for a conference next week that is meant to help end 60 years of Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Alon and Abu Eisha are still coming to terms with their losses, and neither harbours much hope for a more tranquil future.

Mutual security will be key issue in any peace deal.

One evening in June 2002, Alon's mother Noa, sister and 5-year-old niece Gal stopped in Jerusalem to change buses. Minutes later, a Palestinian detonated a bomb, killing himself, Noa, Gal and five others.

"I remember thinking my life would never be the same," said Alon, now 28 and working in Jerusalem as a civil servant.

Alon tries not to think about the man who killed her relatives. She doesn't understand why he did it. She doesn't know much about Palestinians and never visits Palestinian towns, which are effectively off limits for Israelis.

But she is very clear on one thing: if Israel had not relaxed restrictions on Palestinians' freedom of movement around the West Bank city of Ramallah that day in June, her mother and niece would still be alive.