Israel releases 500 Palestinian prisoners in gesture to bring PLO back to negotiations. PLO Exec. Comm. mbr. Samir Ghawsha calls action "cosmetic surgery." Exec. Comm., Palestinian negotiators continue consultations for 3d day. (CSM, NYT, WP, WT 3/2)
Israeli govt. says it will pay compensation to families of victims, but that final amount will be less than that paid to families of Israelis killed by Palestinians. Social security official Yosef Tamir says discrepancy due to lower standard of living in o.t. as compared to Israel. (NYT 3/2)
Israeli Police M Moshe Shahal says "less than 100" settlers targeted for disarming, administrative detention. (NYT, WP, WT 3/2)
IDF accidentally shoots dead Ariel settler nr. West Bank town of Bidya. (MM, NYT 3/2; CSM 3/4)
Secy. of State Warren Christopher, testifying to House Appropriations Comm. subcomm. on foreign operations, says PLO Chmn. Arafat "indispensable" to peace process, calls him "the flag and 'The Star-Spangled Banner' all wrapped up into 1 person" for Palestinians. Asst Secy. of State for Near Eastern Affairs Robert Pelletreau tells House Foreign Affairs Comm. subcomm. on Europe and Middle East Israel must go "beyond tokenism" in restraining militant settlers, terms settlements "a complicating factor," not "an obstacle to peace." (NYT, WP, WT 3/2)
PLO Chmn. Arafat meets Greek FM Karolos Papoulias, Russian Dep. FM Igor Ivanov to discuss international response to Hebron massacre. (MM, NYT 3/2)