Israel arrests 130 in West Bank city

ISRAEL arrested more than 130 Palestinians in the West Bank city of Hebron yesterday, targeting Hamas as the Palestinian government awaited word on whether the Islamic militant group would agree to a ceasefire.

The Israelis also charged five Israeli Arab leaders with funnelling at least $6.8 million to Hamas in a trial that comes amid increasing tension between the government and the Arab community.

Palestinian officials and Egyptian mediators said they expect a positive response soon from Hamas and other militant groups to a proposal to halt attacks on Israelis.

"There is a feeling of optimism that something like this (a truce) will be announced in the next few days," Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Maher said yesterday in Cairo.

Hamas repeatedly has walked away from the Egyptian-brokered truce efforts, but the Islamic militant group is feeling the squeeze after the Iraq war.

Washington has urged Arab nations to stop funding Hamas, Syria closed the offices of Palestinian militant groups and Israel threatened to assassinate Hamas leaders.

An agreement by Palestinian militias to suspend their armed uprising could be a major breakthrough for the peace plan that envisions Palestinian statehood by 2005.

The so-called "road map" has been hung up as both sides fail to end 33 months of fighting.

Israeli officials remained deeply suspicious, saying a truce is just a militant ploy to win time to prepare for more shootings and bombings.

The terms of the emerging deal between Abbas and the militias were not clear.

One Palestinian mediator said the truce will be open-ended and apply not only to Israel but also the West Bank and Gaza Strip a key condition for Israel.

Early yesterday, troops swept through Hebron, a Hamas stronghold, and detained 130 Palestinians.

The arrests came days after troops shot and killed Abdullah Kawasme, the militant group's leader in Hebron. Israel blames him for the deaths of 52 Israelis.

The detainees included relatives of Hamas suicide bombers.

They sat in a large, open-sided tent, handcuffed and blindfolded, and were taken in groups to a nearby building for interrogation.

In the northern Israeli port city of Haifa, meanwhile, a leader of the Islamic Movement in Israel, Sheik Raed Salah, and four others were charged with funnelling at least $6.8 million to Hamas and having contacts with an Iranian agent in Lebanon.

The trial comes at a time when the US, which has labelled Hamas a terrorist organisation, is trying to dry up funding to the Islamic militant group.