Clashes in Ramallah, Palestinian security destroys bomb, US diplomat in Gaza

(14 Jul 2003) Ramallah, West Bank 1. Israeli army jeeps on road 2. Palestinian youths throwing stones at soldiers 3. Mid shot Palestinian youths throwing stones 4. Youth running up street to throw stone Bethlehem, West Bank 5. Wide shot of field where explosive device located 6. Palestinian bomb disposal officer with protective gear 7. Cutaway member of Palestinian security team 8. Bomb disposal team member laying charge on explosive device 9. Wide shot controlled explosion Beit Hanoun, Gaza Strip 10. Acting US Consul-General Jeffrey Feltman with Palestinian officials 11. Feltman with officials 12. Close up Feltman 13. Close up Feltman place name 14. SOUNDBITE (English): Jeffrey Feltman, acting US Consul-General in Jerusalem: "I'm happy to be here representing our government, seeing old friends. But it's also very, very sad to see the state of your town and the agricultural land that's around it. I remember very well the orange groves and the greenhouses that were here and I'm very sorry to see the condition they're in today." 15. Cutaway 16. SOUNDBITE (English): Jeffrey Feltman, acting US Consul-General in Jerusalem: "As President Bush has said, we all have responsibilities to see this progress continue and today, it's our turn to make a tangible contribution." 17. Long shot of Israeli security position 18. Feltman touring site of destroyed warehouses 19. Close up of damage 20. Feltman at destroyed electrical power station STORYLINE: Israel imposed a curfew on the West Bank city of Ramallah on Monday, as security forces continued to scour the area for missing Israeli taxi driver Eliyahu Goral. The IDF (Israeli Defence Force) action sparked running battles with Palestinian youths. There were no reports of casualties. No one has yet claimed responsibility for abducting Goral. Israeli officials fear he was kidnapped by Palestinian militants hoping for a prisoner exchange. Palestinian security forces are helping Israeli troops search for the man. In central Bethlehem a Palestinian bomb disposal team detonated an explosive device after acting on a tip-off. The members of the team located the device near a main road in the town. The 20-kilogram bomb was disposed of in a controlled explosion after the Palestinian Preventative Security service cordoned off the area. Jeffrey Feltman, the acting US Consul-General in Jerusalem, toured Beit Hanoun on Monday. A violence-scarred town in the northern Gaza Strip, it was evacuated by Israeli troops last month after a two-month stay to try to prevent Palestinian militants from firing rockets at Israel. The United States, one of the backers of the "Road Map" plan for Mideast peace, has committed 50 (m) million dollars (US) in short-term aid to the Palestinians. 20 (m) million dollars (US), announced last week, is going to the Palestinian Authority, while 30 (m) million dollars (US) is being channelled through to local and international non-governmental organisations. Of that, half is intended to benefit communities in Gaza from which Israel withdrew last month, and half is earmarked for repairing and rebuilding roads across the West Bank and Gaza Strip. The US administration is making efforts to bypass Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat in its funding, charging that Arafat is linked to militant factions. Instead, some of money is going into an official account administered by Palestinian Finance Minister, Salam Fayad. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...