21.   And in raids early Thursday, Israeli troops entered the West Bank towns of Dahariyah and Bir Zeit and the Ein Beit Hilmeh refugee camp.

22.   And Sharon has refused to withdraw from Bethlehem and Ramallah, where Israeli troops have kept Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat pinned down in his compound.

23.   And Israeli troops shot dead a Palestinian man as he tried to place a bomb near an Israeli settlement, the Israeli army said.

24.   And Sharon, surrounded by Israeli troops, strode into a very fragile situation, cheered on by nationalist Israelis.

25.   And very early Monday morning, Israeli troops gunned down five of the officers stationed there, which ignited the Palestinians on the eve of a major protest day.

26.   And, in a familiar pattern on the edge of Jerusalem, Palestinian gunmen once again fired on the Gilo neighborhood, and Israeli troops returned fire.

27.   Any deal is expected to include the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Bethlehem.

28.   Arafat emerged from his West Bank headquarters Thursday, after Israeli troops withdrew from his compound and released the Palestinian leader from months of confinement.

29.   Arafat, his bodyguards, and dozens of close aides are holed up in Ramallah, ringed by Israeli troops.

30.   Arab officials spoke of violence by Israeli troops.