The Philadelphia Inquirer · 16 March 2001
CP-2001-046
Despite arrests, Israel lifts bans
Three Palestinians were accused of a bomb-attack plan, while restrictions were eased in the West Bank and Gaza.
By Mark Lavie / ASSOCIATED PRESS
Transcribed from the clipping
JERUSALEM — Three members of Yasir Arafat’s Fatah group accused of planning a bomb attack in Jerusalem have been arrested, Israel announced yesterday, even as Israeli soldiers lifted some roadblocks in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, allowing Palestinians more freedom of movement.
The three Fatah members intended to set off a large bomb near an Israeli military headquarters, according to a statement from the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office. They belong to a group headed by the Ramallah commander of Force 17, a special unit in Arafat’s security detail.
Members of the group were responsible for at least 25 gunfire attacks, killing eight Israelis and wounding about 20, the statement said. Meanwhile in Washington, U.S. Secretary of State Colin L.
Powell outlined the Bush administration’s policy to Congress, saying there was no way to settle the Arab-Israeli conflict unless the cycle of violence that has gripped the area for six months was stopped.
“Only when we start going back down that escalator of violence can we start to see the opportunity for getting negotiations started again,” Powell told the House Budget Committee in asking for $23.9 billion for international spending in the fiscal year beginning Oct. 1.
Israel has repeatedly alleged that Arafat’s Palestinian Authority is involved in violence against Israelis. Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, who took office last week, has said he will not resume peace negotiations until the Palestinians stop their attacks.
Cite this clipping
"Despite arrests, Israel lifts bans," The Philadelphia Inquirer, 16 March 2001, p. A4. Covering Palestine archive, CP-2001-046. https://coveringpalestine.org/archive/cp-2001-046
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Last updated 2 November 2026
This record is part of Covering Palestine, an archive of American newspaper clippings about Palestinians, 1724 to 2023. Researched and assembled by Maria Robles.
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