The massacre at the Machpela Cave (Tomb of the Patriarchs Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebecca, Yakov and Leah) in Hebron of close to 60 Palestinians and the wounding of a further 50 was committed by a single terrorist gunman at 6.30 am on Friday morning. Two weeks into the holy Moslem month of Ramadan, the area had been crammed with people at prayer. The murderer, Dr. Baruch Goldstein, a resident of the tiny Jewish enclave of Hebron - Kiryat Arba - and a member of the racist and extreme right-wing Kach Party - simply opened fire with his Galil rifle into the crowd firing more than 100 bullets over several minutes, In the end he was overpowered by the surviving worshippers and beaten to death. The Political repercussions of the events are incalculable. US President Clinton took a rapid initiative aimed at rescuing the current Israel-PLO dialogue in the framework of the Gaza/Jericho First Accords. Clinton invited the sides to continue their talks immediately and in continuous session under his auspices in Washington DC, urging them to redouble their efforts to reach a solution and to bring an end once and for all to the spilling of blood. The Israel Government expressed it's "deep shock at the awful murder of innocent Palestinians at prayer". Prime Minister and Defence Minister Yitzhak Rabin called the attack "a loathsome, criminal act of murder". He promised to do everything necessary to prevent further incidents and bloodshed and to try to prevent any damage to the peace process between Israel and the Palestinian people. State President Ezer Weizman said: "Today is a terrible and difficult day for Jew and Arab in this land. There is no understanding, no forgiveness and no atonement for this horrible act". Photo shows: Riots on the Temple Mount.