Powell Promises to Press for Israeli Withdrawal From Beit JallaUS Secretary of State Colin Powell called on Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat on Tuesday and assured him that the Bush administration was pressing Israel to withdraw its troops from the West Bank town of Beit Jalla."The secretary spoke today to Chairman Arafat... they discussed the situation. The secretary -- particularly with regard to Beit Jala, the secretary noted that we had been pressing for withdrawal, Israeli withdrawal from there," State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said at a regular briefing. During the phone call, Boucher said, Powell also urged Arafat to do everything he can to stop the violence in the Middle East. He said that Powell asked Arafat to help resume security cooperation with the Israeli side. Under the pretext of protecting a Jewish settlement near Jerusalem, Israeli tanks and troops invaded the Palestinian town of Beit Jalla on Tuesday and vowed to stay there indefinitely. |
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