Israeli troops arrest foreigners in Jerusalem

JERUSALEM - The Israeli Army has arrested "several" foreigners who defied its closure order on the West Bank city of Ramallah.

The International Media Centre, based in the city, said 10 members of an international group who marched into Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat's compound were arrested by the surrounding troops, and that 33 others remained inside.

The Army earlier said Ramallah was a closed military zone and that non-residents, including foreign journalists, would be removed by force "if necessary".

The Government also said yesterday that it would be strictly applying rules under which journalists must submit reports about defence matters to a military censor.

An Army spokesman said the international sympathisers who entered Arafat's headquarters had ignored soldiers who tried to stop them entering. "In doing so they endangered their lives and the lives of the soldiers," he said.

Claude Leostic, one of the group, said: "We just walked into the compound. No one tried to stop us, surprisingly. The tanks started to move and we continued and got to the door."

- REUTERS

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