Arafat, Israeli Settlers Gather in Rare, Controversial Meeting

Jewish settlers had a rare meeting with Palestinian Authority President Yasser Arafat to urge tolerance and joint business deals, participants said Wednesday.

A Palestinian official who took part said Arafat welcomed the Tuesday meeting and told the 10 settlers that a Palestinian state was the only way to peaceful coexistence.

The meeting, at a church in the Palestinian-ruled West Bank town of Bethlehem, became public only after it ended. Even then, only two Israelis admitted taking part.

Israeli participant David Bedein said the meeting was prompted by an interest in tourism and other business. He said settlers from Hebron, a West Bank city long due to be given self-rule, took part. About 450 settlers live in the city among 100,000 Palestinians.

Also Wednesday:

* Talks on a military pullout from Hebron made progress after Israel backed down on a demand that its troops be allowed to chase suspects into Palestinian areas of the city. Palestinian and Israeli negotiators met into the night in Jerusalem.

* The Palestinian whose videotape of Israeli border police beating Arab detainees was broadcast worldwide last week was arrested by Israeli police. Azam Maraka was arrested and his brother Hussam hospitalized after a scuffle with Israeli police.

Hussam Maraka said that Israeli police have harassed his brother at his East Jerusalem shop since broadcast of the video. Jerusalem police said they arrested the brothers when they attacked inspectors who were confiscating goods from illegal vendors near Maraka’s shop.

* Israel’s attorney general, Michael Ben-Yair, said that incidents of police brutality against Palestinians like that captured on Maraka’s video are “widespread.” His remarks contrasted with those made by other Israeli officials. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had condemned the incident but said it was rare.