Arrest of Palestinian Militants - 2002-06-01

Israeli forces today arrested several individuals believed to be Palestinian militants. These individuals were detained during an Israeli army raid on a Palestinian refugee camp near the city of Nablus in the West Bank and another refugee camp on the outskirts of Bethlehem. According to the Israeli army, 7 Palestinians from the village of Tamoun near Nablus and one person from the Deheishe refugee camp are among those arrested. Meanwhile, George Tenet, the Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), has traveled to the Middle East to engage in discussions with Israeli and Palestinian leaders. This trip is part of international efforts to establish a ceasefire in the region. At the same time, Israel reports that its new spy satellite is functioning well and has transmitted its first images back to Earth. The Israeli Ministry of Defense announced that the images received at the ground control center on Friday are completely clear. The Ofek-5 satellite was launched into space last week by an Israeli-made rocket. Israel's goal in launching this satellite is to obtain more comprehensive information about the Middle East. According to a news report from Israel, Pakistan and India have expressed interest in purchasing the information transmitted by this satellite. The previous Ofek satellite, Israel's spy satellite, burned up in the Earth's atmosphere last year. Since then, Israel has been using a satellite made by that country which was launched into space by a Russian rocket.