Israel, Palestinians Set to Resume Talks

14/06/2003| IslamWeb

Israel offered to withdraw troops from parts of the Gaza Strip, and the Palestinians expressed readiness to take up security control as the two sides headed into new talks Saturday to patch up a U.S.-backed peace plan after a week of violence. Meanwhile, the first contingent of U.S. monitors who were to supervise implementation of the "road map" peace plan - a team of 10 to 15 officials headed by John Wolf, an assistant secretary of state - were headed to the region Saturday. Renewed violence, including a Jerusalem bus bombing by the Hamas group and a string of Israeli helicopter raids in Gaza, has claimed 61 lives since the June 4 launch of the road map, which envisions an end to 32 months of violence and the creation of a Palestinian state by 2005. Despite the worsening situation, behind-the-scenes meetings were continuing. A high-level delegation of Egyptian security officials planned to arrive in Gaza on Sunday to meet with Hamas officials to discuss a possible end to attacks. Palestinian security chief Mohammed Dahlan was to meet Saturday night with Maj. Gen. Amos Gilad, a senior Israeli defense official, to discuss an Israeli proposal to withdraw from parts of the Gaza Strip to positions held before the outbreak of fighting in September 2000, according to Israeli and Palestinian sources. It would be the first security meeting since the road map was launched by President Bush and the Israeli and Palestinian prime ministers in a Jordan summit on June 4. The Saturday meeting might also include Avi Dichter, the head of Israel's Shin Bet security service, and Israeli Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz, Palestinian sources said. Palestinian Cabinet Minister Yasser Abed Rabbo said that under the latest U.S. proposal, Israel would withdraw from large areas of Gaza and two West Bank cities. The two sides would also make a new cease-fire declaration, Abed Rabbo said. Israel has repeatedly offered to withdraw from areas it reoccupied in the past 32 months, provided the Palestinians assumed security control. Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas has said his security forces, badly damaged in Israeli attacks, were not yet prepared for the task, and he wanted to first negotiate agreements with militants on ending attacks against Israelis. But overnight, the Palestinian leadership met to discuss the proposed pullback and decided it was "ready to take security responsibility in every area the Israelis show willingness to withdraw from," Information Minister Nabil Amr told The Associated Press. In recent days, Israel carried out seven missile strikes against Hamas targets, including a failed attempt on Al-Rantisi's life. Hamas blew up a Jerusalem bus to avenge Al-Rantisi, and carried out a number of other attacks. Violence continued Saturday as Israeli troops shot and killed a 19-year-old Palestinian man, Khaled Saker, when they fired at a group of people throwing stones at them in the Askar refugee camp near Nablus in the West Bank, according to Palestinian hospital officials. Israeli Army officials did not immediately comment. Secretary of State Colin Powell and other senior representatives of the so-called Quartet - the United States, United Nations, Russia and the European Union, which together drew up the road map - are to hold talks in Jordan next week. **PHOTO CAPTION*** Palestinians carry the body of Fuad Ledawi in a Jabaliya refugee camp, northern Gaza mosque Saturday June 14 2003. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)