Official: Israel Accepts U.S. Cease-Fire PlanIsrael accepted on Tuesday a plan by U.S. CIA Director George Tenet for a cease-fire in more than eight months of violence with the Palestinians, a spokesman for Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said.A senior Palestinian security official said the Palestinian response would be submitted by midday (5 a.m. EDT). "The prime minister and defense minister have just come out of a meeting where they accepted the Tenet proposal -- despite some reservation -- for a complete two-sided cease-fire," the spokesman, Raanan Gissin, told the press. Israel's acceptance of the plan came after a late-night meeting with the Palestinians on Monday ended without results and deteriorated at times into shouting matches between the Israeli and Palestinian representatives. The Palestinian official said "we accept any idea proposed by Tenet that does not contradict Mitchell's report," referring to the recommendations of an international committee that looked into the violence. The committee was led by former U.S. Senator George Mitchell. |
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