Israeli troops take over Jenin, begin moving out of Hebron

JERUSALEM -- Israel took over the Palestinian town of Jenin on Friday in one of the largest raids in months -- a delayed response to a deadly bus bombing -- but pulled some troops out of another West Bank town.

The Jenin raid and the redeployment in Hebron came as Assistant Secretary of State William Burns wrapped up talks with skeptical Israelis and Palestinians on a new Mideast peace plan that envisions a provisional Palestinian state by 2003 and full independence by 2005.

In a very public snub of Yasser Arafat, Burns held talks with a Palestinian legislator Friday only a few yards from the Palestinian leader's headquarters in the West Bank town of Ramallah. The United States has been boycotting Arafat, saying he has broken promises to rein in militants.

Israeli Defense Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer called Jenin a "capital of terror," saying "we don't have a choice but to go in and try to clean up what it's possible to clean up."

Two teenage Jenin residents, members of the militant Islamic Jihad group, blew up an Israeli bus on Monday, killing themselves and 14 Israelis.

An Israeli army commander, briefing reporters near Jenin, said soldiers were looking for about 20 Palestinian militants. "We intend to cover the entire city, imposing a curfew, conducting searches and setting up stakeouts to get the terrorists," he said on condition of anonymity.

The officer noted that Monday's bombers managed to leave Jenin and reach Israel after Israeli troops eased restrictions in the area.