21.  Also Thursday, Israel destroyed Palestinian positions in the West Bank towns of Qalqiliya and Salfit.

22.  Aliyan said it was out of respect for the Palestinian position that Israeli-Arabs chose not to run for public office.

23.  An Israeli army spokeswoman said the operation was carried out in retaliation for shooting from Palestinian positions in the area.

24.  Arafat reiterated traditional Palestinian positions, yet was relatively conciliatory in tone, in contrast to the sharp words that have been traded in five months of fighting.

25.  Arafat acknowledged that a purpose of the trip was to enlist international support for the Palestinian position.

26.  Arafat deputy Mahmoud Abbas and the chief Palestinian negotiator, Saeb Erekat, were to meet with senior U.S. officials in Washington on Thursday to explain the Palestinian position.

27.  Arafat was to attend a meeting of Arab foreign ministers in Cairo on Thursday to try to win Arab backing for the Palestinian positions.

28.  Arafat would also send another high-level team to Washington shortly to help explain the Palestinian position, an Arafat adviser, Tayeb Abdel Rahim, said Monday.

29.  Besides, the U.S. ideas are closer to the Israeli stance than to the Palestinian position.

30.  But the Israelis also said Yasser Arafat has hardened the Palestinian position on unsettled issues, none more intractable than the future status of Jerusalem.