New skirmishes erupted between Palestinians and the Israeli army yesterday after Palestinian leaders poured scorn on talk of progress towards Middle East peace by Israel's foreign minister.

Israeli tanks fired four shells at a Palestinian police post near Beit Hanoun in the Gaza Strip after Palestinians fired two mortar bombs at a collective farm inside Israel, the army said. No casualties were reported in either incident.

Palestinian witnesses said a gunbattle flared between Palestinians and Israeli soldiers near the West Bank city of Ramallah and hospital officials said at least four Palestinians were slightly hurt by shrapnel.

There were no immediate reports of clashes in other parts of the West Bank and Gaza Strip, where violence has raged since Palestinians began an uprising against Israeli occupation more than seven months ago after peace talks became deadlocked.

Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres voiced optimism after meeting

US President George W. Bush in Washington on Thursday.

"I do not know what progress Mr Peres is talking about," Palestinian parliamentary speaker Ahmed Korei, who is also known as Abu Ala, told Reuters by telephone.

He reiterated that the Palestinians regarded peace proposals by Egypt and Jordan as the best way towards peace, and that peace talks must resume from where they left off under the Israeli government ousted in an election in February.

Syrian Foreign Minister Farouq al-Shara dismissed Peres' remarks, saying during a visit to Spain: "Peres has lost his credibility all over the Arab world. He has no peace plan. He's just trying to deceive people."

The new Israeli government of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has reservations about the Egyptian-Jordanian proposals and has put forward no plan of its own. It says peace talks can resume only when the violence stops.

At least 402 Palestinians, 76 Israelis and 13 Israeli Arabs have been killed in the violence.