Killings Raise Questions About Israeli Tactics

RAMALLAH, West Bank, March 30 -- Something nasty happened on the fourth floor of the British Council building on a hilltop in downtown Ramallah. The bodies of five Palestinian police officers lay on their backs and sides. They had been shot in the head or neck, yet most of the blood on the wall near them was splattered no more than two or three feet high, according to a reporter who saw the scene.

The killing of the five officers, who had taken refuge in the building Friday, was the deadliest incident during Israel's storming of Ramallah and the headquarters of Yasser Arafat, the Palestinian leader.

Most world attention during the two-day incursion has centered on events concerning Arafat, so much a symbol of the Palestinian cause. But in addition to deciding what will happen to Arafat, the Israelis have embarked on a large search mission in much of the city. They have entered homes and offices, and where they have met resistance, the end has been bloody.

Israeli officials have not detailed the outcome of the searches. No vast arms caches have been uncovered, however, and only one alleged terrorist suspect has been killed; none has been arrested.