Terrorism Wave Feared After 3 Israeli Soldiers Are Slain : Mideast: Fatal roadblock clash and kidnap-murder of hitchhiking private come amid peace efforts.

JERUSALEM — Two Israeli soldiers were shot and killed Friday by Palestinian gunmen who opened fire on troops manning a roadblock on the occupied West Bank, according to a military spokesman. One Palestinian was killed and a second was wounded.

The charred body of another soldier, abducted Thursday evening on the outskirts of Jerusalem while hitchhiking home for the weekend, was found overnight in a burning delivery van near the West Bank town of Ramallah.

The two incidents heightened Israeli fears of a terrorist campaign by radical Palestinian guerrillas intent on thwarting the efforts to revive Arab-Israeli peace negotiations. Six Israelis--four soldiers and two civilians--have been killed on the West Bank and in the Gaza Strip in the last month.

“There is a desire by extremists to sabotage the peace process, and it is possible that some of the incidents are linked to the visit of the American secretary of state,” said Deputy Defense Minister Mordechai Gur, referring to mediation efforts of Secretary of State Warren Christopher here this week.

“But it is also possible there is an awakening of some groups surprised by the intensity and effect of our operation in Lebanon a week ago. It is clear to us that we have to make every effort to overpower them as quickly as possible.”

But the three deaths nevertheless brought angry demands from the country’s right wing opposition parties that the government take tougher measures, including the introduction of the death penalty, to deter terrorism.

“The government has the responsibility to halt the deteriorating security situation,” said Benjamin Netanyahu, chairman of Likud, the principal opposition party. “It must stop making unilateral concessions to the Palestinians and act firmly against this terrorism.”

The two soldiers, manning a regular checkpoint at the West Bank village of Deir Balout, were killed when a Palestinian car pulled up at the roadblock at midmorning and two gunmen got out and opened fire, according to a military spokesman. A third soldier returned fire, killing one man and wounding another, but a third escaped on foot.

Maj. Gen. Nehemya Tamari, commander of the central military region, which includes the West Bank, said that Hamas, a group of militant Islamic fundamentalists, was responsible for the attack. The dead Palestinian was a wanted Hamas member, and the style of the attack was typical of Hamas.

Pvt. Yaron Chen, 20, a member of the military intelligence corps, was killed late Thursday after he was abducted by three men in a van while he hitchhiked on the northern outskirts of Jerusalem, the army spokesman said. He was going home on a weekend pass.

A fellow soldier, who had earlier turned down a ride from the men, gave chase, according to the army spokesman, but lost the van in the heavy evening traffic. About three hours later, the van was found burning in the village of Bitunya near the West Bank town of Ramallah. Chen’s body was so badly charred that he was not identified for more than 10 hours, the spokesman said.

No organization has claimed responsibility for Chen’s murder, although in Palestinian political circles suspicion fell on Islamic Jihad, another group of radical Muslim fundamentalists.

Earlier in the week, a civilian employee of the military government in the Gaza Strip was killed when Palestinians belonging to Islamic Jihad hijacked a U.N. bus and rammed it into his car.

The three soldiers’ deaths brought to 144 the number of Israelis killed in the Palestinian uprising against the Israeli occupation, according to figures kept by the Associated Press since the intifada began in December, 1987.

The gunman’s death brought to 1,133 the number of Palestinians killed by Israelis during the same period. In addition, 747 Palestinians suspected of collaboration with Israeli authorities or of dealing in drugs or prostitution have been killed by other Arabs.

“We are dealing with each incident as an isolated incident,” Police Commissioner Rafi Peled said. “But we are also strengthening our presence in every place possible, with an emphasis on Jerusalem and special orders regarding road traffic.”

But Shai Bazak, a spokesman for the Yesha Council, which represents Israeli settlers on the West Bank and Gaza Strip, asserted that the incidents were not only connected but were also directly related to efforts to revive the peace negotiations. “It happens each time the Americans come,” he said, referring to Christopher’s visit and earlier trips by former Secretary of State James A. Baker III.