71.   The attack came at the end of a day in which Israeli forces had raided three Palestinian cities in an effort to choke off precisely such bombings.

72.   The closing served not only to prevent Palestinians from entering Israel, but also barred Israelis from entering Palestinian cities.

73.   The European Union and Russia both demanded Tuesday that Israel withdraw troops from Palestinian cities, including Ramallah.

74.   The fighting, on a rocky hillside outside the Palestinian city, raged for about six hours into the evening.

75.   The general strike Monday was a Palestinian show of strength, and it was effective, judging from the empty streets in Ramallah and other Palestinian cities.

76.   The Israeli army seized control of this Palestinian city on Monday, imposing an all-hours curfew and sending troops door-to-door in a hunt for militants and weapons.

77.   The Israelis agreed to remove their tanks from Palestinian cities if Palestinian officials agreed to take guns away from militia groups.

78.   The Israelis have pulled out of most of the other populated Palestinian cities.

79.   The Labor government also withdrew Israeli troops from most of the Gaza Strip and every major Palestinian city in the West Bank with the exception of Hebron.

80.   The main point of contention seems to concern villages and open areas lying between the major Palestinian cities and the settlements.