Thousands of Palestinians gathered yesterday to mourn a senior offtcia 1 who died in a confrontation with Israeli troops, as the army sent reinforcements to the West Bank and braced for unrest.

The Palestinian leadership blamed Israel for the "killing" of 55-year-old Ziad Abu Ein, as tensions threatened to boil over into another round of violence in the occupied territories.

Officials and onlookers streamed into the Ramallah headquarters of president Mahmud Abbas for the funeral procession to a nearby cemetery, an AFP correspondent said.

Uniformed Palestinians carried Abu Ein's coffin, draped in a Palestinian flag, into the courtyard, as nationalist songs blared and mourners chanted "Revenge!" and "Your blood will not be spilled in vain!'

Schools were closed in a day of mourning and posters of Abu Ein were plastered on walls throughout the West Bank city.

There were no immediate reports of violence.

Abu Ein died Wednesday after a confrontation with Israeli soldiers during a protest march against settlements by roughly 300 Palestinians who intended to plant olive trees as a symbolic act, an AFP photographer said.

The incident prompted Abbas to threaten measures in response, saying "all options are open for discussion and implementation", but without specifying what those were.

Israel urged calm, with Defence Minister Moshe Yaalon expressing regret for the death and saying a military inquiry had been launched.

Meanwhile, France's upper house of parliament yesterday urged the government to recognise Palestine as a state, following a similar and highly symbolic vote in the lower house.

The Senate resolution, calling for French recognition of Palestine and an "immediate restarting’ of peace talks between the Palestinians and the Israelis, passed narrowly, with 153 votes in favour and 146 against.

The vote came after Irish lawmakers urged their government on Wednesday to recognise Palestine as a state in a symbolic motion that sailed through parliament unopposed.

Sweden has gone even further, officially recognising Palestine as a state in a move that prompted Israel to recall its ambassador.

Lawmakers in Britain and Spain have already passed similar motions and Sweden has gone even further, officially recognising Palestine as a state, in a move that prompted Israel to recall its ambassador.