ARTIS HILL. West Bank. Aug 7 : Jewish settlers pitched camp on two hilltops Monday, resuming a campaign of protests against an emerging israel-PLO deal on expanding Palestinian selfrule. reports AP.

Settlers brought a generator to the site near Nebi Samuel, reputed burial place of the biblical prophet Samuel. about 10 kilometres (six miles) north or Jerusalem.

Dozens more returned to an unauthorised encampment on Artis Hill, adjacent to the Beil El settlement. 20 kilometres (12 miles) north of Jerusalem. The move was in defiance of Israeli troops who last week dragged hundreds of settlers off hilltops where they set up makeshift neigh-

bour IumkIs.

ITie army and police made no immediate attempts io remove the settlers from the two hilltops on Monday.

The settlers briefly halted their protests over the weekend following an appeal from president Ezer Weizmann. On Friday, settler leaders met with Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and expressed their concern that turning over West Bank towns and villages to Palestinian control would put them in danger.

Settler spokesman Aharon Domb said they resumed the hilltop protests because the government did not suspend talks with the PLO.

Talks were scheduled to resume Monday evening with

a meeting between Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres and PLO chief Yasser Arafat in the Egyptian Red Sea resort Taba.

Both sides said the toplevel meeting was needed to bridge the gaps on disputed issues such as Israeli troop withdrawal and Palestinian elections. Talks on water sharing. prisoner releases and electricity also have deadlocked.

The daily newspaper Haaretz said the Israelis would propose delaying resolution of some issues so an agreement could be signed by mid-September. But top Palestinian negotiator Ahmed Qureia said the Palestinians want a comprehensive agreement.