Israeli troops have captured the West Bank leader of Hamas in a raid in Ramallah.
Ibrahim Hamed has been wanted in Israel for the past eight years for masterminding a series of suicide bombings which killed more than 60 Israelis and wounded hundreds more.
Israeli forces entered Ramallah this morning, opened fire and circled a building 200m from the Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas's home, and demanded that Ibrahim Hamed surrender.
The 41-year-old leader of the Ezzedin al-Qassam Brigades in the West Bank has been on Israel's wanted list since 1998 but had previously escaped capture or assassination, in part by keeping perpetually on the move.
Although Israel accuses Mr Hamed of plotting new bombings, Hamas has not carried out such attacks since agreeing to a period of calm in early 2005 and deciding to contest last January's parliamentary election, which it won by a landslide.
Olmert holds talks with Rice in Washington
The Israeli Prime Minister, Ehud Olmert, has held talks with the US Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice, in Washington.
It is his first trip to the United States since he assumed office.
The talks focused on his plan for a unilateral Israeli withdrawal from parts of the West Bank and the continuing unrest in Gaza.
Under Mr Olmert's plan, Israel will withdraw tens of thousands of settlers from the West Bank in order to fix its borders. In turn, Israel will retain its hold over several settlement blocs housing some 200,000 Jews in Palestinian areas.
The Israeli PM has said he would prefer a negotiated agreement with the Palestinians, but peace hopes have dimmed since the Islamic militant group Hamas took power.
Palestinians have condemned the proposed Israeli West Bank plan as an attempt to annex land and deny them a viable state.
The plan could also spell the end of the peace 'road map' the US and the EU have championed as a blueprint for negotiations and establishment of a Palestinian state alongside a secure Israel.
Mr Olmert, who took over from Ariel Sharon after the former Israeli leader suffered an incapacitating stroke in January, is due to meet US President George W Bush at the White House later.
