Palestinian students protest crackdowns

April 3, 1996
Web posted at: 9:50 a.m. EST (1450 GMT)

RAMALLAH, West Bank (CNN) -- About 1,000 Palestinian students, upset over recent crackdowns on suspected Islamic militants, burst through PLO police lines Wednesday and marched on a meeting of the Palestinian Council, witnesses said.

Police fired shots in the air and scuffled with the protesters to prevent the group from nearing Ramallah, where the meeting was taking place, according to witnesses.

Many students, however, managed to cross the police line and marched toward the council meeting two miles away. (352K QuickTime movie)

The demonstrators, mostly from nearby Bir Zeit University, said they hoped to deliver complaints to the council over Israel's arrest of 376 students suspected of terrorist activities and a separate Palestine Liberation Organization police raid on the West Bank's al-Najah University last week.

Palestinian President Yasser Arafat arrived earlier by helicopter in Ramallah from self-ruled Gaza to attend the meeting, the first council session in the West Bank.

The 88-member council, elected in the first-ever Palestinian general elections in January, planned to discuss Palestinian complaints of violence by PLO security forces and an Israeli closure of the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

The council has held two other sessions since the elections, but those meetings took place in Gaza.

Israel and Arafat's Palestinian Authority have arrested hundreds of suspected Islamic militants. The crackdowns were prompted by Islamic suicide bombings that killed 58 people in Israel over a nine-day period beginning on February 25.

Israel sealed off the West Bank and Gaza Strip from Israel after the first bombing, and the closure has crippled the Palestinian economy.

Elsewhere in the region, Israeli forces beefed up security throughout Israel at the start of the Passover holiday Wednesday and in preparation for Easter. The eight-day Passover holiday commemorates the exodus of the Israelites from slavery in ancient Egypt.

Sources say Israeli intelligence reports warn against planned terrorist attacks and suicide bombers. On Tuesday, the armed wing of the militant Islamic group, Hamas, ordered the resumption of suicide attacks against Israel.

Reuters contributed to this report.

Related stories:

• Support for peace thrives despite bombings
• Arafat arrests Hamas leaders
• Key players in the Israel-Palestine conflict

Related sites:

• Palestine Liberation Organization information
• League of Arab States: Palestine:
• The Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs
• Israeli Internet Terrorism Hotline
• Hamas information
• The Truth About Hamas

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