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The United States is cautioning the Palestinian Authority not to release from detention, without Israel's concurrence, the head of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, Ahmed Saadat. He is one of six Palestinian militants transferred to a jail in Jericho last month as part of the deal ending Israeli's 34-day siege of Yasser Arafat's headquarters in Ramallah.

The transfer of the six Palestinians to Jericho under U.S. and British supervision was part of a deal painstakingly negotiated by senior U.S. officials, including Secretary of State Colin Powell. And the State Department is making clear its opposition to Mr. Saadat's release as ordered Monday by the Palestinian High Court in Gaza.

"I think it is unclear exactly what standing or authority the Gaza court has in that case," said Mr. Reeker. But I would note, however, that the purpose of the Jericho arrangements was to afford the Palestinians and the Israelis an opportunity to resolve their disagreements over the disposition of all six individuals known as the Jericho Six. And we expect the Palestinians will work with the Israelis, rather than take unilateral steps."

Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat would have to endorse the court order to effect the release of Mr. Saadat, who Israel says was involved in the killing last year of Israeli cabinet minister Rehavam Zeevi.

The State Department, meanwhile, also took exception to reported offers by Mr. Arafat to include factions linked to anti-Israeli terrorism in the new Palestinian cabinet he is expected to announce in the next few days. Mr. Reeker questioned how the participation of groups such as Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad could advance hopes for peace or the reform of the Palestinian Authority.

"It is hard to see how the inclusion of terrorist groups like Hamas or the PIJ that have been responsible for so much violence could make a positive contribution to the restoration of security, the pursuit of peace or the cause of genuine democratic reform in the Palestinian Authority, which is what we have been talking about," said Mr. Reeker.

Palestinian analysts say Mr. Arafat had hoped through the cabinet overtures to be able to exert control over the radical factions, though Hamas Monday followed the others in spurning the offer to take part in the revamped administration.

Senior Egyptian officials say the most significant part of Mr. Mubarak's plan is its call for the declaration of a Palestinian state by early 2003. They say the declaration would occur before negotiations about boundaries, the issue of refugees, the division of Jerusalem, and the dismantling of Israeli settlements.

But the advisers say some steps have to be taken before the statehood declaration, including the restructuring of Palestinian security services and presidential and parliamentary elections late this year.

Under the plan, the Palestinian state would be formally admitted to the United Nations, followed by negotiations with Israel leading to a total Israeli withdrawal from lands it occupied in 1967. The withdrawal would be phased over three or four years and guaranteed by the United States, Russia, the United Nations, and the European Union.

Mr. Mubarak has said his plan is much more detailed than a Saudi land-for-peace proposal adopted at a March Arab summit in Beirut. That plan was rejected by Israel because it insisted on the return of Palestinian refugees.

Mr. Mubarak's plan, which has not been made public, is said to call for a just settlement of the refugee problem, without specifically mentioning the right of return.

In a recent interview, Mr. Mubarak said that when he meets with President Bush he will ask him to apply pressure on the Israelis and Palestinians to return to negotiations.

An adviser to Mr. Mubarak, Osama el Baz, says it should be clear by now that "using military might" is not the way to end the fighting between Israelis and Palestinians. Mr. el Baz says power cannot bring an end to the conflict. Power, he says, only creates temporary solutions. The real solution will have to come from the will of the international community.

Hassan Nafae is the chairman of the political science department at Cairo University. He says 'President Mubarak will be traveling to Washington as the most influential leader throughout the Arab world.' "Egypt is the most important regional player, at least as far as the Arab world is concerned," he said. "If Egypt has some reservations on any peace plan, this plan will never get its way forward. So, if you want to do anything concerning peace in the region you have to go through Egypt and work with Egypt."

Mr. Mubarak is expected to have at least two days of talks with President Bush. He is also scheduled to meet with Vice President Dick Cheney, National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice, and Secretary of State Colin Powell.

The head of the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency, George Tenet, has had talks with Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat on reforming the Palestinian security services.

The United States wants Mr. Arafat to restructure his security apparatus and have it do more to fight terror against Israel. The Palestinian Authority has nine separate and sometimes rival security forces.

After the talks in the West Bank city of Ramallah, an Arafat spokesman says the Palestinian leader stressed to the CIA chief the need for an end to Israeli raids on Palestinian self-rule towns.

As Mr. Tenet visited Mr. Arafat, Israeli troops carried out a brief raid into the Palestinian town of Jenin. The army also entered the Palestinian-controlled zone of Hebron and shot dead a Palestinian teenager during a raid on a village near Hebron.

Israel has been carrying out almost daily raids into Palestinian towns, villages and refugee camps in recent weeks to root out suspects in anti-Israeli attacks.

Meanwhile, the Palestinian cabinet said it will keep a top militant wanted by Israel in prison, despite a Palestinian High Court order to release him. The cabinet says Israeli threats prevent it from freeing Ahmed Saadat.

Mr. Saadat heads the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, which admits killing Israel's tourism minister last year. Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said he would take what he called "all necessary steps" to keep Mr. Saadat in jail. The Palestinian court said there is no evidence linking Mr. Saadat to the killing, despite Israeli claims to the contrary.

A Palestinian suicide bomber has detonated a car packed with explosives next to a crowded Israeli bus. At least 16-people were killed and dozens of others were injured in the blast.

An Islamic militant ignited a massive fireball by detonating explosives in his car alongside a bus near the northern Israeli town of Megiddo.

Police say the bus burst into flames after the blast. Witnesses say some passengers were trapped alive inside the burning bus.

Body parts and the personal belongings of passengers were scattered in a wide radius. Chunks of mangled metal are all that remain of the car bomb and the bus.

Megiddo is just a few kilometers from the West Bank and many suicide bombers have come from that area.

The militant group Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility for the attack, saying it was meant to coincide with the 35th anniversary of the 1967 Middle East War.

Israel captured the West Bank, Gaza Strip, and East Jerusalem during the war, areas the Palestinians want for a possible future state.

An Israeli government spokesman blamed Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat for the bombing, saying he has done nothing to stop terrorist acts against Israelis.

Hours after the explosion, Israeli tanks, backed by combat helicopters, rolled into the West Bank town of Jenin. Witnesses reported attack helicopters fired machine guns toward one neighborhood.

Jenin is a stronghold of Palestinian militants and has been the target of repeated Israeli raids in recent months.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Arye Mekel says Israel will continue launching military raids in the West Bank to track down militants.

"There is no immunity for terrorism," he said. "We go after them even if they are in the Palestinian territories. We arrest them. We try to bring them to justice. This will certainly continue. It is going on, on an ongoing basis, since Arafat and the Palestinian Authority are doing nothing to stop these terrorists from acting we have to do it ourselves."

In a statement, the Palestinian Authority condemned Wednesday's bombing, saying it has no connection to the attack.

Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon met with senior cabinet ministers to discuss a possible response to the bombing.

President Bush has condemned the bus bombing in Israel in what a spokesman calls "the strongest terms."

White House spokesman Ari Fleischer said the attack underscores that the terrorists are the worst enemies not only of Israelis, but also of the Palestinian people and their hopes for a better life.

He said the attack also underscores the importance of the Palestinian Authority developing a security force that can be relied on to stop and to prevent attacks.

The spokesman said President Bush will continue to work on Mideast peace efforts in his upcoming meetings with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.

President Bush will host Mr. Mubarak at Camp David Friday and Saturday and meet Mr. Sharon at the White House on Monday.

Egypt's Foreign Minister Ahmed Maher says this week's Israeli-Palestinian violence shows the urgency of action to renew the regional peace process. He met with U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell Thursday to prepare for the Camp David meetings between President Bush and Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak that open Friday.

But in a talk with reporters after meeting Mr. Powell, the Foreign Minister said the suicide bus bombing in Israel Wednesday and Israel's subsequent incursions in the West Bank underline the need to get a political process going as soon as possible to both restore calm and create what he called "window of hope" for Israelis and Palestinians that this week's events will not be repeated:

"The situation as it is prevailing in the occupied territories is very serious and deangerous and there can be flare-ups like the ones we saw yesterday," he said. "Yesterday was a time of deep poise. We believe that both sides have to move seriously towards putting an end to the situation. And in this regard, movement by the United States, by Egypt, and by all the interested parties is essential, and if I may add, urgent."

Mr. Maher said he believes there is a determination on the part of the Bush administration to move rapidly on a settlement, though he said he was unaware of a specific U.S. peace plan thus far.

The Egyptian leader is to have separate meetings Friday with Secretary Powell and National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice before joining President Bush at Camp David late in the day for talks extending through Saturday.

Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon is due in Washington to meet President Bush on Monday, after which the President and his key advisers are expected to map their strategy for how to proceed in the Middle East.

A key element will be the ministerial-level Middle East conference jointly proposed in early May by the United States, Russia, the European Union and the United Nations due to be held sometime this summer.

Despite news reports this week that the meeting is to be held in Turkey in late July, the State Department insisted again Thursday that no decisions have been made on a date, venue or agenda for the gathering.

Enraged by the latest Palestinian suicide bombings in Israel, members of Congress have once again been discussing the potential for a change in leadership of the Palestinian authority.

The special hearing of the House Armed Services committee took place against the backdrop of the suicide bombing that left 17 Israelis dead.

In the view of former U.S. ambassador to Israel, Martin Indyk, Mr. Arafat failed the test of leadership beginning with the historic 1993 agreement with the late Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin that led to creation of the Palestinian Authority. "The people of Palestine don't have a leadership in chairman Arafat that is willing to take action and prevent violence, and it is time that the [Bush] administration reaches that conclusion," he said.

Mr. Indyk calls Mr. Arafat's rejection of Israeli and U.S. offers in the Camp David negotiations of 2000 a massive miscalculation that, in his words, has only brought further misery to Palestinians and Israelis alike.

John Philips, of the conservative Heritage Foundation, points to Mr. Arafat's failure to gain control of the radical groups Hamas and Islamic Jihad. In Mr. Philip's view, as long as Mr. Arafat remains as head of the Palestinian authority, there is little chance of a genuine peace. "Arafat has had ample time to prove himself as a true partner for peace, and he has failed miserably to do so," he said. "Largely due to his cynical policies, Palestinians and Israelis are engulfed in more terrorism and violence today then they were before the beginning of the Oslo process in 1993. It should be clear that Yasser Arafat is part of the problem, not part of the solution for reaching a genuine Arab-Israeli peace."

Rachel Ehrenfeld, Director of the Center for the Study of Corruption and the Rule of Law, said documents captured during Israel's previous incursions in the West Bank contain "clear evidence of Palestinian Authority involvement in systematic, institutionalized, and ongoing financing of radical Palestinian groups".

She says the Bush administration needs to recognize that Palestinian rhetoric is part of a pattern. "The Bush administration and Congress need to recognize that the Palestinian leadership's verbal attacks on the United States are not just propaganda for internal consumption," she said. "There is ample evidence that they really mean what they say. We saw the same message after the terrible attacks on the U.S., and we continue to hear it today. Let us recognize that Arafat and his cadre are meeting the definition of terrorist, using President Bush's own definition."

Lawmakers heard no satisfactory specific answers to their questions about who, in Palestinian leadership circles, might emerge to lead the Palestinian Authority and influence radical groups to turn away from violence.

Thursday, the White House said exiling Mr. Arafat will not be a solution to the ongoing crisis. The State Department said Israel had sent new assurances that the Palestinian leader would not be harmed.

Israeli forces have re-entered Jenin in the West Bank, hours after withdrawing from the Palestinian town.

Israeli military officials called the incursion early Friday a "routine patrol." Troops imposed a curfew confining residents to their homes. Witnesses say about 20 tanks are taking part in the raid, one of several into Jenin in recent days.

Israeli forces also made a brief raid into the Palestinian town of Tulkarm. Soldiers took away three Palestinians including a young woman who the Israelis allege was planning to carry out a suicide bombing. A teenaged suicide bomber from Jenin carried out the Wednesday attack that killed 17 Israeli bus passengers, mostly young soldiers. Islamic Jihad claimed the bombing, but Israel blames Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat for failing to prevent such attacks. Thursday, Israel forces raided Mr. Arafat's headquarters in Ramallah. They destroyed buildings in the compound and killed one of Mr. Arafat's bodyguards in fighting. One shell hit Mr. Arafat's bedroom, but he was not in the room at the time. He later emerged from the compound, flashing a victory sign.

Two Israelis have been shot dead and four others wounded in an attack on a Jewish settlement in the West Bank.

A pregnant woman and her husband were killed when two Palestinians opened fire on trailers housing settlers in Karmei Tsur, near Hebron, the Israeli army said.


The Israelis were killed in cold blood
Israeli army

One of the attackers was shot dead by settlers, while the second escaped in the direction of the Palestinian town of Halhul, according to Israeli sources.

The pre-dawn attack came as US President George W Bush began a round of talks with Middle Eastern leaders on how to end nearly 20 months of fighting.

Hours earlier, Israeli troops swept into Palestinian towns on the West Bank in response to a deadly suicide bombing by a Palestinian militant which killed 17 Israelis at Megiddo earlier this week.

An Israeli military spokesman blamed the Palestinian Authority for the attack at Karmei Tsur, accusing it of "doing nothing to prevent such terrorist acts".

An army spokeswoman said the Israelis "were killed in cold blood".

No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack.

Israeli raids

On Friday, Israeli forces thrust into the West Bank towns of Jenin, Bethlehem and Tulkarm in a continuing operation against Palestinian militants.


	Click here to enlarge map

About 50 tanks rolled back into Jenin hours after troops pulled out of the town following an earlier incursion, Palestinian sources said.

Palestinians fired M-16 rifles at the tanks, which responded with machine-gun fire.

There were no reports of any injuries.

Israeli soldiers imposed a curfew on the town and surrounding areas, confining more than 30,000 residents to their homes.

Israel has frequently targeted Jenin, where many Palestinian suicide bombers - including the attacker who blew up a bus at Megiddo junction on Tuesday, killing 16 Israelis - have come from.

Diplomatic activity

The attack at Karmei Tsur came on the eve of Mr Sharon's visit to the White House, already delayed by a day following the bombing at Megiddo.

Mubarak is presenting a plan to end the violence

Mr Mubarak, who arrived for two days of talks at Camp David, north of Washington, on Friday, is trying to press the US to recognise a Palestinian state before its final borders are determined.

Correspondents say the current flurry of diplomatic activity has given rise to speculation that the US is preparing detailed proposals for the creation of a Palestinian state.

However, a senior official was quoted as saying it was "a bit misleading to speculate or expect a 'Bush plan'".

He said Mr Bush had no concrete plan to offer, but that Washington was considering laying out a "more specific roadmap, a set of ideas" leading towards a separate Palestinian state alongside a secure Israel.

A BBC correspondent in Washington says the next few days may be critical for diplomacy but, as ever, the diplomacy will remain hostage to events on the ground.

Bush, Mubarak Meet at Camp David


AP
Hosni Mubarak

President Bush and Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak are holding crucial talks on the Mideast peace process at Camp David, the presidential retreat near Washington.

President Mubarak is expected to press Mr. Bush to set a deadline for Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon to withdraw troops from Palestinian areas.

He also wants a clear timetable for the establishment of a Palestinian state, which the Egyptian leader says is the best way to stop suicide bombings.

President Bush backs the idea of a separate state but says Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat must first show he is serious about ending the violence. "I still am disappointed in Mr. Arafat's leadership," he said. "He needs to cut off the terrorist activities."

In a U.S. television interview, President Mubarak said Mr. Arafat should not be held responsible for continuing attacks because he says the Palestinian leader does not have the security or intelligence services to prevent suicide bombings as those groups themselves have been under attack from Israeli troops.

President Mubarak met earlier Friday with Secretary of State Colin Powell and National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice. Ms. Rice will join President Bush and President Mubarak for a private dinner at Camp David Friday evening.

They will be joined Saturday morning by other officials, including Vice President Dick Cheney, for expanded discussions on the Middle East crisis. The two leaders are then expected to take questions from the press.

President Bush meets with Prime Minister Sharon on Monday. Following those talks, Mr. Bush says he will make a statement on how the U.S. should proceed in the Middle East peace process.

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Sharon in Washington For Meetings With Bush

VOA News
9 Jun 2002 19:36 UTC


Ariel Sharon at Washington press conference

President Bush meets Monday with Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon who says violence must stop before serious negotiations with the Palestinians can begin.

Mr. Sharon spelled out his views in in the New York Times Sunday on the eve of his White House talks. He says "Israel must defeat terrorism" before the peace process can move forward.

Mr. Sharon also says Israel will not return to its 1967 borders or give up any part of Jerusalem as called for in an Arab land-for-peace proposal. But he says there is a need for peace with the Arab world, proposing a regional peace conference with what he describes as "like-minded Middle Eastern states."


President Bush and Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak answer reporters' questions at Camp David, Saturday

Mr. Sharon's visit comes on the heels of two days of talks between Mr. Bush and Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak at the presidential retreat at Camp David, outside Washington.

After the meetings, which ended Saturday, President Bush said he is not ready to set a timetable for establishing a Palestinian state, but that steps towards that goal should start immediately.

In an interview with U.S. television "Fox News" Sunday, Mr. Mubarak called Jewish settlements in the West Bank and Gaza a time bomb and again urged Israel to withdraw from occupied territory. He said the U.S. remains the key to Middle East peace, adding that without pressure from a heavyweight power, the Palestinians and Israelis will get nowhere.

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Israeli Forces Move on Ramallah

VOA News
10 Jun 2002 01:57 UTC

Palestinian officials say more than 70 Israeli tanks have pushed into the West Bank town of Ramallah, sparking heavy clashes.

They say Israeli forces have surrounded the headquarters of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat. Israeli officials say the operation is aimed at arresting a number of wanted men.

The incursion began early Monday, hours after Mr. Arafat formed a smaller cabinet and named an interior minister as part of reforms to his Palestinian Authority.

Mr. Arafat appointed Abdel Razak Yehiyeh as interior minister to reform the Palestinian Authority's police and intelligence services. Israel says those forces have not done enough to reign in terrorists. Mr. Arafat also named former International Monetary Fund official Salam Fayyad as finance minister.

Sunday's cabinet changes come one month after the Palestinian parliament called for sweeping changes of the Palestinian Authority. Israel and the United States have stressed the need, in particular, for reforms to Palestinian security services to end terrorist violence.

Meanwhile, Palestinian police arrested a senior leader of Islamic Jihad, the group that claimed responsibility for a suicide attack last week that killed 17 Israelis. Officials say Abdullah Shami was arrested in Gaza City.

And early Monday, a powerful explosion rocked the Palestinian refugee camp of Jabaliya in the Gaza Strip. Officials did not say what caused the blast, which injured at least 32 people.

Some information for this report provided by AFP.

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Israeli Forces Launch Major Raid into Ramallah - second article following the above.

Meredith Buel
Jerusalem
10 Jun 2002 09:54 UTC

Listen to Meredith Buel's report (RealAudio)

Buel report - Download 267k (RealAudio)


AP
An Israeli tank postioned in the streets of Ramallah

Israeli military forces have launched a major raid into the West Bank city of Ramallah, arresting at least 20 Palestinians. Clashes erupted and at least one Palestinian was killed.

Backed by combat helicopters, Israeli tanks, armored personnel carriers and soldiers moved into Ramallah, imposing a curfew and surrounding Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat's headquarters. An Israeli army spokesman says troops ringed the compound to prevent Palestinian militants from taking refuge there. Mr. Arafat is in his headquarters and was not hurt during the raid.

Israeli forces entered the compound last week and destroyed several buildings after a Palestinian suicide attack killed 17 Israelis.

On Monday soldiers also searched house-to-house in the Amari refugee camp, arresting Palestinians wanted for questioning. Troops also moved through the suburb of Beituniyah and neighboring El-Bireh. Sporadic explosions and gunfire echoed across Ramallah several hours after the troops entered the city.

Israeli military sources say the operation is aimed at "arresting militants and destroying the terror infrastructure." They say the raid will be of "limited duration."

The incursion came hours after Mr. Arafat reduced the size of his cabinet in an effort to reform the Palestinian Authority. Mr. Arafat appointed a new interior minister (Abdel Razak Yehiyeh) to lead the police and intelligence services as well as a new finance minister (Salam Fayyad).

Israel and the United States have called on the Palestinian leader to reform the authority to end corruption and stop attacks against Israelis. Palestinian Information Minister Yasser Abed Rabbo says presidential and parliamentary elections will be held next January and municipal elections will take place before the end of this year.

Since the Palestinian Authority was formed in 1994, elections have been held only once, in 1996.

A spokesman for Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon reacted coolly to the Palestinian reforms. Dore Gold said, "the real question is whether Mr. Arafat and the Palestinian leadership will abandon violence as a political tool."

Meanwhile, a large explosion rocked the Jabaliya refugee camp in the Gaza Strip, injuring dozens of people and damaging a number of houses. Palestinian officials did not say what caused the blast.

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Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat has formed a smaller Cabinet as part of what Palestinian officials describe as a program of political reform. The move follows intense international pressure on Mr. Arafat to restructure the Palestinian Authority, which has been accused by Israel of failing to halt terror attacks against the Jewish State.

One month after the Palestinian parliament called for sweeping political changes, Mr. Arafat has reduced and consolidated his cabinet.

He named Abdel Razak Yehiyeh, a former guerrilla commander with the Palestine Liberation Organization, as interior minister, responsible for most of the operations of Palestinian security forces. Ultimate authority remains with Mr. Arafat.

The new Minister of Finance is Salam Fayyad, a former official with the International Monetary Fund.

The cabinet shakeup follows internal Palestinian criticism that the Palestinian Authority had become corrupt and too large. The changes also follow strong pressure from the United States and Israel for reform of the Palestinian Authority to help set the stage for a resumption of peace talks.

The moves were announced as Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon arrived in Washington. He is to meet Monday with President Bush, and reform of the Palestinian Authority is likely to be one of the major topics for discussion.

Mr. Sharon has been calling for a major overhaul of Palestinian security forces, which he says have failed to halt terrorist attacks.

He says this has forced Israeli troops to enter Palestinian areas in a bid to halt the campaign of attacks, which have included numerous suicide bombings.

Israeli police say a Palestinian suicide bomber detonated explosives Tuesday in an Israeli coastal city north of Tel Aviv, killing himself and Israel teenager and injuring at least eight others.

The explosion ripped through the Middle Eastern-style restaurant, which is in the downtown part of the city. One of the suburbs of the city, Herzliya Pituach, is home to many foreign ambassadors to Israel.

A spokesman for the Israeli prime minister's office, David Baker, denounced the attack, saying it "is another example of the Palestinian intention to commit murder for the sake of murder."

The Palestinian Authority released a statement condemning the suicide bombing, saying such operations give the Israeli government a reason to strike at the Palestinian people.

The bombing took place despite tight Israeli restrictions on movement in the West Bank. Israeli military forces have surrounded or entered main Palestinian population centers in an attempt to stop militants from infiltrating into Israel.

The teenagers had been picking fruit at a nearby orchard and were returning to their bus at the time of the blast.

In Hebron, the bodies of two Palestinians were found, one of them in the exact location where a local militia leader was killed recently by fire from an Israeli helicopter. Palestinians say the men were gunned down for allegedly collaborating with Israel.

Israeli military forces remain in Ramallah, where they have imposed a curfew and are surrounding Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat's headquarters. Mr. Arafat is in the compound and has not been hurt during the operation.

Israeli forces also launched another incursion and clamped a curfew on the West Bank town of Tulkarm.

Israeli soldiers have arrested dozens of alleged militants in recent days during raids on Palestinian-controlled towns and villages in the West Bank. The army says the incursions and arrests are designed to stop militants planning suicide bombings and shooting attacks against Israelis.

A suicide bomber has struck at a restaurant in the Israeli coastal town of Herzliya, just north of Tel Aviv.

Israeli police say the Tuesday blast wounded nine people, including an Israeli girl who later died of her injuries. The bomber also died in the blast. The Palestinian Authority issued a statement condemning attacks on civilians inside Israel.

Earlier Tuesday, a bomb blast in the West Bank injured three Israeli teenagers from the Kiryat Arba settlement near Hebron.

The bombings came as Israeli forces continued to raid Palestinian towns in a hunt for anti-Israeli militants. Israeli forces made more arrests in Ramallah and surrounded the headquarters of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat for a second day.

The Israeli army says it arrested 30 suspects in Ramallah Tuesday, including the deputy leader of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, Abdel-Rahim Mallouh. That group killed an Israeli cabinet minister last October after Israeli troops killed its leader.

Also seized was Youssef Tarifi, public prosecutor for the Ramallah area and the son of a Palestinian cabinet minister. Israeli armored forces also entered the town of Tulkarm and the Deheishe refugee camp near Bethlehem.

In the Gaza Strip, the Israeli army says soldiers shot and killed three heavily armed men approaching a Jewish settlement of Netzarim.

British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw says that despite President Bush's recent criticism of Yasser Arafat, there is no alternative to the Palestinian leader.

"We have to deal with the leaders who are there for the time being. And that obviously includes Mr. Arafat," he said.

Mr. Straw spoke at the foreign ministers of the Group of Eight industrialized countries meeting in Whistler, Canada.

He said Secretary of State Colin Powell briefed officials there on an American Middle East peace plan that President Bush will announce soon.

"What Colin Powell has been talking about here at Whistler is the proposals which the United States government have, in which he is in the lead, for trying to take a peace process forward," he said. "And that includes possibly - the recognition of what is described as a transitional state of Palestine to put flesh on what President Bush talked about at the United Nations General Assembly in November."

Mr. Straw says the U.S. plan lays out timelines for a permanent settlement of what he called "the desperate plight" of both the Israelis and Palestinians.

The British foreign secretary spoke one day after Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon visited London to discuss the Middle East crisis with British Prime Minister Tony Blair.

Spokesmen say Mr. Sharon argued that Mr. Arafat is not doing enough to stop attacks against Israelis, while Mr. Blair urged the Israeli leader to restart the peace process.

Israeli troops have pulled out of Ramallah and away from Mr. Arafat's headquarters.

At least 20 tanks, armored vehicles and jeeps pulled back to the outskirts of Ramallah from positions across the city.

The troops began their blockade of Mr. Arafat's compound, Monday, in an operation the army said was designed to root out Palestinian militants and prevent suicide bombings.

As the tanks pulled away, Palestinian police and security officers rushed into the complex and shouted slogans in support of Mr. Arafat.

The Israeli Army says soldiers arrested about 75 suspected Palestinian militants, uncovered a bomb factory and found two car bombs ready for use in planned terror attacks.

Israeli Defense Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer says the operation had been conducted "quietly" and the results were "impressive".

The decision to withdraw the troops came as Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon returned from talks in Washington and London, where he blamed Mr. Arafat for the continuing violence in the Middle East. Mr. Sharon has said peace talks cannot resume until the bloodshed ended.

Shortly before the troop pullback, U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell said President Bush favors a "temporary" Palestinian state even before the outcome of final negotiations with Israel.

But the White House played down Mr. Powell's statements, saying Mr. Bush had not endorsed a transitional Palestinian state.

Israel's Defense ministry says construction will begin Sunday on a barrier fence between Israel and the West Bank.

Israeli officials say the fence is needed to keep Palestinian suicide bombers and other attackers away from Israeli towns. Plans call for a 120 kilometer-long series of fences, ditches and other barriers along about one-third of the frontier. It will basically follow the so-called Green Line, Israel's border before it captured and occupied the West Bank in the 1967 Middle East war. In some areas, the fence will cut more deeply into the West Bank. Israel has already confiscated Palestinian land in the Tulkarm and Jenin areas for construction of the barriers.

Palestinian officials say the planned wall will only increase tensions. They say only an end to the occupation and peace agreements will bring Israel security. Jewish settlers in the West Bank also oppose the fence. They fear it could become a political border for a Palestinian state, leaving them on the wrong side. In continuing violence, Israeli security forces shot and killed a Palestinian man who stabbed and slightly wounded a Jewish settler near the West Bank city of Nablus. Israeli soldiers entered a Palestinian-ruled area of Hebron before dawn and blew up what the army says was an explosives lab. Troops arrested several Palestinians for questioning. Israeli forces have carried out almost daily raids in various parts of the West Bank in recent weeks, saying the incursions are needed to prevent attacks on Israelis. On Thursday, the army said it had arrested more than 20 suspected militants after raids in the northern West Bank town of Tubas.

Israeli police say a Palestinian suicide bomber has blown himself up near an Israeli checkpoint on the border with the West Bank, causing no other casualties.

Police say the bomber set off the explosives Monday after police ordered him to stop. A police vehicle was damaged by the blast. The incident occurred just inside Israel near the Palestinian town of Tulkarm in the northern part of the West Bank.

After the bombing, Israeli Defense Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer cited intelligence reports warning that five Palestinian bombers were planning attacks in Israel.

The incident came a day after Israel began building a controversial security fence between northern Israel and the West Bank, aimed at stopping Palestinian militants from crossing over into Israel to stage attacks.

The first phase of construction calls for a series of electronic fences, ditches and walls stretching 110 kilometers.