Ayosh, Bir Zeit & Aram Junction (all near Ramallah), East & West Jerusalem - 9 March 2001

Ayosh, near Ramallah

1. Wide of Binyamin Ben Eliezer, Israeli Defence Minister at army command post

2. Eliezer meeting soldiers

3. Mid shot of Eliezer

4. Wide of meeting

5. Post with Eliezer, press and soldiers

6. Cameras pan to Eliezer looking through emplacement

7. Point of view shot through emplacement

8. Pan of view

9. Eliezer meeting soldiers and walking

10. SOUNDBITE: (English): Binyamin Ben Eliezer, Israeli Defence Minister

11. Helicopter departing

Bir Zeit, near Ramallah

12. Long shot of traffic jam

13. People walking next to trench

14. Bulldozer and tank on hilltop

15. People walking past trench

16. Mid shot of tank

West Jerusalem

17. Mahane Yehuda market

18. Soldiers in and around market

19. Crowd at market amidst heavy security

East Jerusalem

20. Damascus Gate

21. Soldiers on ramparts of Old City

22. Soldiers at entrance to mosque

23. Police jeeps driving through street

Aram Junction, near Ramallah

24. Roadblock

25. Soldier at roadblock checking cars

English/Nat

The new Israeli Defence Minister Binyamin Ben Eliezer made a quick tour of frontline Israeli Defence Force troops Friday in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

Ben Eliezer flew by helicopter to be briefed by army commanders and meet soldiers at the Ayosh base, near Ramallah, the Central Command for the West Bank.

He said that the main objective of the troops based there was to strike against terrorists attacking Israeli civilians in the surrounding settlements and not to harm innocent civilians, adding that he knew the area and its problems well having served there for six years as an army commander.

But he also called for the Palestinians to return to the negotiating table.

After a brief tour of the base, he flew on to Gaza to visit flash point areas in the Strip.

Meanwhile, the Israeli military dug up a section of the road to prevent cars from travelling between the West Bank towns of Ramallah and Bir Zeit.

The Israelis also parked two tanks on a hill overlooking the road, a move aimed at deterring attacks on Israeli settlers in the area.

Palestinians denounced the action as yet another block on their movements, which have been severely restricted since the violence erupted in September.

In Jerusalem, security was tight for Friday prayers, with a heavy police and military presence around the Old City.

Police in the city centre police were on high alert following Hamas threats of a series of suicide bombings to mark Ariel Sharon's accession to power.

Hamas claim to have nine suicide bombers already in place in Israel waiting to strike.

SOUNDBITE: (English):

"We have nothing against the population. Not at all. We have only against those who sacrifice their people for the sake of the bloodshed. We are not interested in this bloodshed. We would like to convince them that it is not worth while to continue with that. On the contrary, to get back to the table."

SUPER CAPTION: Binyamin Ben Eliezer, Israeli Defence Minister