Israel Arrests Palestinian Militant

Israeli troops have detained a top member of the Palestinian militant group Hamas during a raid on an apartment building in the West Bank city of Tulkarem.

Rami al-Tayyah has been wanted by Israel since 2002 in connection with the recruitment of militants and the establishment of Hamas cells suspected of carrying out shootings and bomb attacks against Israeli citizens.

Also Saturday, Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qureia accused Israel of hampering efforts to restart peace efforts following the death of Yasser Arafat. Mr. Qureia told his cabinet that Israel's continued military aggression sends a clear message that it does not want to allow things to quiet down and bring the peace process back on track.

Mr. Qureia's criticism came as German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer arrived in the region for talks with Israeli and Palestinian leaders.

Some information for this report provided by AFP and AP.