Ramallah  - Mahmoud Darwish, who advocated for Palestinian statehood in his poems known throughout the Middle East, died Saturday after undergoing a heart operation in the United States, Palestinian television reported.

The 67-year-old had undergone an operation in Houston on Wednesday and his condition had worsened. He had had two previous such operations.

Darwish was known as one of the most outstanding poets in the Arab world and as the poetic voice of the Palestinians. His 30 volumes of poetry have been translated into
30 languages.

Ramallah  - The Israeli army continued its raid-and-arrest campaign in Nablus early Monday, arresting a lawmaker and several prominent businesspeople in pre-dawn raids in several neighbourhoods in the northern West Bank city, local officials said.

Lawmaker Muna Mansour, 46, was one of those seized, after her home was ransacked and computers, documents and family pictures taken, according to family members.

Mansour, a mother of seven, is a member of the Islamic Hamas movement. Her husband, Jamal, a Hamas leader, was assassinated by the Israeli army seven years ago when a helicopter fired a missile at his Nablus office.

Ramallah - The Israeli military cancelled Thursday an earlier d

Ramallah - A small bomb exploded in the car of Palestinian Attorney-General Ahmad Mughani as he drove away early Tuesday from his home in the central West Bank city of Ramallah, police said.

Police spokesman Adnan Damiri said the incident was under investigation and several suspect were being interrogated.

The small device, hidden in the boot of the car, blew up when Mughani started the engine. No one was hurt however and the explosion was believed to be more of a message to Mughani than a true attempt to kill him.

The attorney-general, close to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and a member of his Fatah party, is investigating several cases of suspected corruption committed by other high-ranking Fatah officials.

Ramallah/Gaza  - The European Union's decision to boost its ties with Israel sparked mixed Palestinian reactions Tuesday.