The World - News from July 5, 1989

Israeli troops arrested 200 Palestinian activists in the occupied West Bank in one of the largest sweeps of the 18-month uprising, military sources said. Those arrested are suspected of belonging to the popular committees that organize and direct the rebellion against Israeli rule. The sweep took place on the eve of a key vote in Prime Minster Yitzhak Shamir’s Likud Party on his plan to let Palestinians in the occupied territories choose negotiators to peace talks with Israel. In the Israeli-occupied Gaza Strip, meanwhile, thousands of workers observed a general strike by staying away from their jobs in Israel to protest the issuance of new identity cards required for entry to Israel.