About 300 Israeli Jews and Arabs, members of a joint peace group, defied an Israeli ban on travel to the Palestinian territories Saturday to meet with Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat in his West Bank headquarters in Ramallah.

The delegation, members of Ta'ayush, the Arab word for co-existence, walked into Ramallah after the Israeli army prevented their buses from crossing a checkpoint at the entrance to the city.

Israeli radio said Mr. Arafat, who has been confined to his Ramallah headquarters since December 3, was applauded when he called for "a peace of the brave."

An Arab lecturer from the Palestinian Bir Zeit University said he was happy to see Israeli people rather than Israeli soldiers in a Palestinian city.

Israel has barred Its citizens from entering Palestinian cities and towns for security reasons because of its blockade of the West Bank and Gaza Strip. The army says it will file a complaint against members of the group for violating the ban.

Some information for this report provided by AFP and Reuters.

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