JERUSALEM – Israel’s prime minister on Sunday welcomed Arab nations’ endorsement of indirect, U.S.-brokered peace talks with the Palestinians, saying he is ready to restart negotiations “at any time and at any place.”

Israeli and Palestinian officials said they expect the talks to begin by early next week, and one Israeli official said the dialogue would go beyond formalities and include preliminary discussions on “core issues” in the decades-long conflict.

Details on the exact timing and scope of the talks were still being finalized Sunday, a day after the 22-member Arab League gave the Palestinians the green light for negotiations.

Despite the signs of progress, violence broke out in the West Bank during a Palestinian protest against the separation barrier Israel is building in the area. Palestinian medics said four protesters were hit by rubber bullets fired by Israeli forces in Beit Jala, a village just outside Jerusalem.

Gunshot causes deadly stampede

MONTERREY, Mexico – Five people were trampled to death early Sunday when a gunshot fired at a cattle fair sent a panic-stricken crowd rushing for the exits in a northern Mexico town already on edge from rampant drug violence.

At least 17 other people were injured at the fair in Guadalupe, outside the industrial city of Monterrey, said Adrian de la Garza, head of the Nuevo Leon State Investigative Agency.

At least 12 people at the scene were detained for questioning, according to an agency official. He said Guadalupe officials were investigating possible negligence by organizers of the fair.

Good Samaritan buried back home

GUATEMALA CITY – A Guatemalan immigrant who died defending a woman under attack in New York City has been buried in his native country.

Hugo Tale Yax’s death in Queens provoked outrage after surveillance camera footage showed several people walking past his bleeding body without stopping to help.

Police say the 31-year-old homeless man was stabbed to death after intervening in an argument between a man and a woman that turned physical.

His body was flown to Guatemala, where he was buried Saturday in his hometown of Esperanza.

His father, Juan Pablo Tale, says his son was “truly a hero. He defended someone he did not know. It’s a lesson for everyone.”