U.S. envoy Zinni to return to Middle East

JERUSALEM (CNN) -- U.S. Middle East peace envoy Gen. Anthony Zinni, who left the region last month, will return Thursday, the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem said Tuesday.

Zinni broke off his first Mideast mission in December amid a rise in violence, including a series of attacks on Israeli civilians by Palestinian militants and the assassination of an Israeli Cabinet minister. At the time, U.S. officials criticized Palestinian Authority President Yasser Arafat for not doing enough to prevent such attacks.

There has been a drop in violence since Arafat renewed his call for a truce December 16 and arrested scores of members of the militant Hamas and Islamic Jihad groups.

Israel said, however, that Arafat needs to do more before it can begin implementing recommendations by an international commission led by former U.S. Sen. George Mitchell.

Israeli troops arrest Palestinian suspects

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The announcement about Zinni's return came on the same day that an Israeli infantry force, backed by tanks, rolled into a West Bank town to arrest three Palestinians suspected of terrorist activities, according to Israel Defense Forces.

The Israeli action took place at Qabatiya near Jenin in a section of the West Bank under full Palestinian control. Parts of the West Bank are under joint Israeli-Palestinian supervision.

Among those arrested by the IDF and transferred to Israeli Security Services for questioning was Hamas member Nasser Zacraneh.

The IDF said that Palestinians fired at the Israeli force a number of times during the operation but said there were no injuries.

Israeli forces left Qabatiya once the operation was complete. An M-16 assault rifle found with the men was confiscated during the operation, the IDF said.

Tuesday's action by Israeli forces continued similar recent arrests of Palestinian militants by Israeli troops. Last week, Israeli forces entered the city of Hebron and the West Bank village of Azzoun, arresting several people they said are suspected of terrorist activity.

Over the weekend, Palestinian police said they arrested Moussa Kullab, one of 33 suspected militants named on an Israeli "most wanted" list that Zinni gave Arafat.

At least 11 people on the list have been arrested, according to Israeli sources. Palestinians said they have arrested at least 18.

Hamas is an Islamic fundamentalist group whose military wing, Izzedine al Quassam, has carried out military and terrorist operations against Israelis.

Palestinian Islamic Jihad is a militant group dedicated to the creation of an Islamic Palestinian state and the destruction of Israel.

Arafat has called for Palestinians to stop attacks on Israel, saying the only way to achieve a Palestinian state is to negotiate with the Israelis.

Arafat has come under increasing pressure from the United States, Israel and Europe to crack down on terrorists in territory under Palestinian control since the latest string of suicide attacks began in Israel in early December.

The terror bombings prompted the Israeli Cabinet to cut ties with Arafat and sanction retaliatory strikes on the West Bank and Gaza.