Spoilers

I don't expect the new direct talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority to amount to anything, but doubt the timing of this is coincidental:

"Four Israelis were killed on Tuesday night when gunmen opened fire on their car at the entrance to Kiryat Arba, near Hebron, in the West Bank.

"The attack occurred around 7:30 P.M. on Route 60, when shots were fired at a private vehicle near the Bani Naim junction, south of Kiryat Arba. Preliminary reports showed the gunmen approached the vehicle and shot the victims multiple times at point-blank range.

"Hamas' military wing has claimed responsibility for the attack, which comes just a day before the White House effort to re-launch Mideast peace talks."

Kiryat Arba was probably chosen to highlight Israel's most inflammatory settlement.