Israeli police commandos foil election terror plot

ELITE police commandos chased down a group of Palestinians racing toward central Israel in a van packed with explosives yesterday, foiling a potentially devastating bombing just days before national elections.

The arrests capped a 15-minute chase by heavily armed police commandos on motorcycles. The hunt brought Israel’s main highway to a standstill for more than an hour.

Reflecting the jitters, Israel has banned Palestinians from entering the country until after the March 28 election and greatly restricted movement through the Gaza Strip’s main cargo crossing. With the closure causing shortages of milk, bread and other essentials in Gaza, Israel allowed the crossing to reopen temporarily yesterday.