HIGHLIGHTS: Palestinian Officer Killed: 4 Arrested in Ramallah||18 Arrested in Nablus||Attack on Gaza a Matter of Time, Israeli General||Palestinian Legislators Discuss Reforms||STORY: The Israeli occupation army raided the Palestinian city of Ramallah on Thursday, maintaining pressure on its opponents despite having pulled back from its big sweep into the West Bank earlier this month. A Palestinian security officer was killed in his home and at least four people were arrested in Ramallah in the West Bank during the brief raid and searches by Israeli tanks and troops, a Palestinian security source said. Read photo captions)

Occupation troops also entered the village of Tallousa near Nablus and carried out house-to-house searches, witnesses said. Palestinian sources said at least 18 Palestinians from militant factions and security forces were arrested before the army withdrew.

ATTACK ON GAZA A MATTER OF TIME

Israel's Deputy Chief of Staff, Major General Moshe Ya'alon, who is on a visit to Washington, has said that it is "only a matter of time" until the Israeli army launches a massive attack in the Gaza Strip.

Ya'alon also criticized the proposal that CIA director George Tenet visit the Middle East to help rebuild the Palestinian security apparatus, and stated that U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell's claim that Palestinian Authority chairman Yasser Arafat was "irreplaceable" as a partner in the peace process, was "a mistake."

According to Haaretz, Ya'alon, who will take over from Chief of Staff Shaul Mofaz in June, is in the United States to meet with several senior figures in the Bush administration, including National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice.

The Israeli operation in Gaza was deferred for political reasons, but would eventually be carried out, said Ya'alon, probably immediately after the next attack on Israeli soil.

PALESTINIAN LEGISLATORS DISCUSSING REFORMS

Palestinian legislators are working on a proposal for sweeping reforms in the Palestinian Authority - in response to Yasser Arafat's statement Wednesday that he was open to changes, including preparations for elections.

A special committee set up by the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) met for a second day Thursday over a draft bill that will include reforms of the PA.

The committee, which includes members from Gaza, Jerusalem and Ramallah, discussed elections for the PLC and for local government, limiting the number of PA ministers, the creation of the position of prime minister, and enforcing a clear separation between government institutions and the PLO apparatus. The committee is expected to complete its work within a week, Israel Radio reported.

Members of the committee include deputy PLC head, Ibrahim Abu Najeh, civil rights activist Hanan Ashrawi, and Nabil Amr, who resigned from the cabinet 10 days ago after his demand for reforms went unheeded.

PHOTO CAPTION
An Israeli soldier watches over the Kalandia checkpoint on the outskirts of Jerusalem, where Palestinians cross towards the West Bank town of Ramallah, Wednesday, May 15, 2002. During a speech to mark the anniversary of the Palestinian uprooting as a result of Israel's creation in 1948, Yasser Arafat said he was not giving up on the search for peace with Israel, despite Israel's recent military offensive into Palestinian controlled areas. (AP Photo/Enric Marti)
- May 15 9:16 AM