Ramallah Patches Itself Up, But Frets It May Be in Vain

RAMALLAH, West Bank -- The charbroiled walls inside the Checkers restaurant building have been whitewashed, the loose concrete in the atrium has been cleared away and the streets outside have been swept of shattered glass and twisted pedestrian railings.

The six-story landmark is a prominent example of Ramallah's rapid repair job after the military offensive carried out by Israel in April. This city, which is the closest thing the Palestinians have to a capital, resounds today with the grind of rotating cement mixers, the pounding of hammers and the scrape of plasterers' trowels.