HIGHLIGHTS: Jerusalem's Chief Muslim Religious Authority, Mufti Ikrima Says Has no Position on So-called Suicide Bombings||Ben-Eliezer Says Occupation Troops Could Withdraw From Hebron, Al-Khalil by End of the Week||Arafat to Appoint a New Cabinet by the End of the Week|| STORY: Jerusalem's chief Muslim religious authority was questioned by Israeli occupation forces Tuesday about a newspaper interview in which he was quoted as endorsing resistance bombings.

Ikrima Sabri, 63, was detained at his home and held for three hours at a police compound in Jerusalem before being released without charge.

In an interview afterward, Sabri said he was misquoted.

"That newspaper published words that I never said. From the beginning of the uprising, I have been interviewed by more than 1,000 journalists ... and most of them asked about attacks in Israel. My response was that I had no position toward that."

However, Sabri has often made comments that have outraged Israelis and prompted police to detained him. Incitement to violence is a criminal offense in Israel.

As mufti of Jerusalem, Sabri is influential, often preaching to thousands at the Al Aqsa Mosque, one of Islam's most important religious sites.

Police questioned Sabri about a June 1 interview in the Dubai-based newspaper Al Bayan. The Arabic newspaper quoted him as saying he "did not see any religious prohibition" against 'suicide' bombings.

"On the contrary, it is self-defense and one of the successful types of resistance," he was quoted as saying.

Omar al-Omar, head of Al-Bayan's international section, said the paper accurately quoted Sabri, ascribing Sabri's denial to Israeli pressure.

"What he said is expected, because he was arrested and forced to say that so he can be freed," al-Omar said.

There is no consensus in the Islamic world about whether the religion sanctions suicide bombings. While some prominent religious scholars have endorsed them, others have rejected such tactics.

Sabri's views are generally in line with the Palestinian Authority, which condemns 'suicide' bombings in Israel.

Israel argues that the Palestinian leadership bears ultimate responsibility for the attacks and has not made a serious effort to prevent them.

OCCUPATION FORCES KILL ANOTHER TEEN-AGER IN TULKARM

In other developments Tuesday, an 18-year-old Palestinian was killed in the West Bank town of Tulkarem when Israeli occupation troops opened fire to enforce a curfew, Palestinians said. The Israeli occupation army had no immediate comment.

Also, Israeli Defense Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer said Israeli troops could pull out of the West Bank town of Hebron by the end of the week if the situation there remains calm.

The United States has been pressing Israel to pull out of at least one of the six West Bank cities it still holds after taking over seven cities in June. It had already pulled out of Bethlehem, but maintains a military presence and often tight curfews on the rest.

Israeli occupation troops blocked streets leading to a disputed holy site at the edge of Bethlehem on Tuesday, a step toward connecting the area to Jerusalem, witnesses said.

The Israeli occupation army said its soldiers blocked paths and roads Palestinians had used to sneak around a roadblock and enter Israel illegally.

Israel decided Sept. 11 to include the West Bank site, where Jews believe the biblical matriarch Rachel is buried, inside a security fence that is to surround Jerusalem, just 500 yards away. That would involve moving the main Israeli occupation army checkpoint between Bethlehem and Jerusalem to the West Bank side of the tomb.

A Muslim cemetery is next to the tomb, which was once the site of a mosque. Palestinians reject Israel's claim to the site, though free Jewish access is guaranteed by interim peace accords.

Also, Palestinian Planning Minister Nabil Shaath said Arafat would appoint a new Cabinet by the end of the week. Arafat's Cabinet resigned Sept. 11 as the parliament was poised to vote no confidence in his government.

Sharon arrived in Washington on Tuesday and meets with President Bush on Wednesday.

PHOTO CAPTION

Ikrema Sabri, 63, the chief Muslim cleric in Jerusalem, leaves a police station in Jerusalem, Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2002. Sabri was briefly detained Tuesday to be questioned about a newspaper interview in which he was quoted as condoning suicide bombings, officials said. Sabri, 63, whose post as mufti of Jerusalem is influential but largely ceremonial, has often made comments that have outraged Israelis and has praised militants fighting Israel. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichin