Three Israeli extremists planned disruptions to the Pope's visit

The Israeli police arrested three Israeli extremists yesterday, accusing them of planning disruptions to the visit of Pope John Paul II to Israel and to the Palestinian lands today.

The BBC had reported that a Swastika was drawn on the pope's helicopter landing pad in protest of his visit.

The Pope's visit to Israel has received extensive security measures.

In the same time, Haim Ramon, the official assigned to organize the pope's visit to Israel, accused the Palestinian government of trying to obstruct the pope's visit by releasing a balloon from Jerusalem that carries Palestinian flags and the Vatican's flag.

Ramon alleged that this step aims at exploiting the Pope's visit to achieve political goals.