OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, 3 July — The Israeli Army yesterday drafted thousands of extra reservists to maintain its occupation of the West Bank as it intensified its crackdown on Palestinians rounding up about 100 university students in Hebron.

On the diplomatic front envoys from the so-called “Quartet” were to discuss US ideas on the Middle East.

Russian and EU officials have already voiced doubts about US President George W. Bush’s call to ditch President Yasser Arafat as peace partner.

The Israeli Army started calling up thousands more reservists to serve with forces occupying the West Bank, public radio reported. Israel has reoccupied seven of the eight main towns and cities in the area since launching Operation Determined Path last month, which the Jewish state says aimed to smash Palestinian groups behind a series of devastating bombings.

The army briefly pulled out of Qalqilya in the northwest for several hours yesterday before returning, Israeli media reports said. Troops also raided the Palestinian village of Az-Zababida, near the northern West Bank city of Jenin, early yesterday, making searches and arrests, a Palestinian official said.

Israeli military kept hundreds of thousands of Palestinians locked down in Ramallah, Nablus, Qalqilya, Tulkarm and an increasing number of smaller towns and villages.

In Hebron, a city of 120,000 Palestinians and 400 heavily guarded Jewish settlers, witnesses said Israeli troops surrounded a polytechnic college and rounded up about a third of the 300 students inside.

An army spokesman said Osama Zalahat, a Jihad activist, was arrested in Kfar Yatta near Hebron for plotting attacks, but had no comment on the students.

Palestinian sources said the army also arrested 10 other Palestinians in Hebron overnight including the local head of the Palestinian National Guard Col. Sharif Abu Maalik, who they said was beaten and then freed after six hours. Israel also accused Arafat’s West Bank intelligence chief Gen. Tawfiq Tirawi of aiding and ordering shooting attacks on Israeli targets near Ramallah.

Meanwhile, delegates at Israel’s Labor party conference yesterday decided against voting on whether or not the party should withdraw from the coalition government of right-wing Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.

As Israel pressed ahead with its military operations, the Quartet of US, UN, EU and Russian envoys was to meet in London to chew over Bush’s regional vision outlined last week.

Palestinian Cabinet minister Saeb Erekat sent a letter yesterday to envoys of the Quartet asking them to back Arafat’s reform program.

In London, British Prime Minister Tony Blair’s office defended a visit by junior Foreign Office Minister Mike O’Brien to the Middle East yesterday for talks with Arafat.

In another development, Arafat yesterday sacked the head of his police forces, Gen. Ghazi Jabali, as part of reforms to the national security apparatus, Palestinian officials said.