West Bank, Gaza Sealed Off Before PLO Meets

Hundreds of troops poured into Jerusalem’s walled Old City on Friday, and the army sealed off the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip to prevent violence linked to the expected proclamation of a Palestinian state.

Soldiers detained hundreds of Palestinians in anticipation of anti-occupation riots during the four-day meeting in Algiers of the Palestine National Council, the PLO’s parliament in exile.

The council is expected to declare an independent Palestinian state during its meeting, which begins today.

In the Gaza Strip, troops shot and wounded three Arab protesters with plastic bullets, hospital officials said. There was no immediate comment from the army.

Hundreds of soldiers dressed in combat gear and armed with assault weapons streamed into Jerusalem’s Old City, which has a large Arab population. Many carried backpacks and bedding, apparently to set up temporary camps inside the ancient walls.

The army announced that the entire Gaza Strip was closed at 9 p.m. and placed an indefinite curfew on the coastal area’s 650,000 Arab residents. The order barred journalists from entering Gaza without an army escort.

The army also said it imposed curfews on all of Gaza’s eight Palestinian refugee camps, confining 300,000 residents to their homes. The actions do not affect Gaza’s 6,000 Jewish settlers.

Troops also barred West Bank Palestinians from entering Jerusalem by erecting roadblocks at all entry points to the city. Army officials said the West Bank’s 850,000 Palestinians have been confined to their own districts.

The army put up three checkpoints on the Bethlehem-Jerusalem highway, turning away Jerusalem-bound cars with blue West Bank license plates.

Throughout the occupied areas, hundreds of Palestinian activists were rounded up overnight, Arab reports said. An army official said only that Israel has “ongoing initiatives to round up troublemakers.”

A spokesman for Palestine Liberation Organization Chairman Yasser Arafat said a declaration of independence for the West Bank and Gaza Strip would be a key legal move in transforming the territories into Palestine.