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Palestinians Arrest Accused Killers of Zeevi VOA News 21 Feb 2002 16:11 UTC 
Palestinian police have arrested three men suspected in the assassination of Israeli Tourism Minister Rehavam Zeevi more than five months ago. The Palestinian military intelligence chief in the West Bank town of Nablus (- Talal Dweikat -) says the arrest order came directly from Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat. The Israeli military has kept Mr. Arafat confined to the West Bank town of Ramallah since December, demanding the arrest and trial or hand-over of Mr. Zeevi's killers. Mr. Dweikat identified the detainees as -- Hamdi Koran and Basel al-Asmar - the two men accused of direct involvement in the assassination. The third man arrested - Ahed Abu Ghulmya - was described as an accomplice. All are members of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine. The group says it killed Mr. Zeevi in a Jerusalem hotel last October to avenge Israel's killing of P-F-L-P leader Mustafa Zibri. The arrests came as Israel kept up attacks by air, land and sea against Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. At least eight Palestinians were killed today. Seventeen were killed Wednesday during attacks launched by Israel after Palestinian gunmen killed six Israeli soldiers in the West Bank. Thursday's victims included six Palestinians killed during an Israeli tank incursion in Rafah. One Palestinian man was shot by Israeli troops while trying to cross a checkpoint near Ramallah. A Palestinian gunman and an Israeli Arab riding with him were killed during an exchange of gunfire with Israeli troops at another West Bank checkpoint. Israeli troops and tanks entered Palestinian-ruled Gaza City overnight and blew up the Voice of Palestine radio-television headquarters.
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