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Israel Decides to Uphold Ceasefire Despite Palestinian Attacks
Israeli security cabinet decided on Wednesday to continue upholding the US-brokered ceasefire with the Palestinians despite the latter's recent attacks on Israeli settlers.
The decision was announced after a three-hour meeting of the security cabinet which was called to reassess the ceasefire policy in the wake of recent attacks by the Palestinians, particularly the killings of two settlers on Monday in the West Bank.
The Israeli government has been under great pressure from the settlers to retaliate Palestinian shooting attacks.
Israel Radio said that at the meeting, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon proposed taking a number of other decisions, but Foreign Minister Shimon Peres opposed.
The cabinet endorsed a series of decisions and authorized the Defense Ministry to take them at appropriate time.
A cabinet communique issued by the Government Press Office said that at a scheduled security meeting with Palestinian counterparts on Wednesday night, Israeli security officials will present a plan for the redeployment of the Israeli army in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, but it will be made clear that "its implementation will only take place after the cessation of terrorist attacks."
The communique also said that "steps are being taken and will be taken" to enhance the security of settlers in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
Israel reserves the right of self-defense to prevent attacks aimed at its citizens and soldiers, the communique added.
Since the ceasefire went into effect a week ago, Israel and the Palestinians have been accusing each other of not fulfilling their obligations prescribed in the ceasefire plan, drawn up by U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Director George Tenet.
The level of violence has dropped significantly but has not come to a stop.
Under the ceasefire plan, Israel must lift its closure on Palestinian towns and villages while the Palestinians should arrest activists of radical groups who are suspected of planning attacks against Israeli targets.
Senior Israeli officials, who spoke on conditions of anonymity, on Wednesday accused Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat of trying to internationalize the conflict by working to bring in an international force of observers.
Meanwhile, the Palestinians have accused Israel of not doing enough to lift its closure on the Palestinian territories.
The Palestinians promised that they will work to ensure that there will be no attacks against Israeli targets in areas under their full control or Area A, but refused to commit to a halt of violence in areas under partial or full Israeli control in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
Among their other differences, Israel has stressed that a ceasefire is the first step before implementing other recommendations of the Mitchell report, which also includes a cooling-off period, the adoption of confidence-building measures and the resumption of negotiations.
The Palestinians, for their part, are insisting on accepting the Mitchell report in its entirety and not separating the ceasefire from other recommendations.
In a bid to sustain the fragile ceasefire, U.S. Assistant Secretary for Near Eastern Affairs William Burns is expected to return to the region in the coming days.
Burns is working on the political track in efforts to end the nearly nine months of Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which have killed more than 600 people, mostly Palestinians.
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