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Israeli Security Cabinet to Discuss Pullout From Palestinian Areas
The Israeli security cabinet is to hold a special session Thursday to discuss US President George W. Bush's demand for an immediate end to Israeli incursion into six Palestinian towns and cities in the West Bank, Israeli Army Radio reported Wednesday.
Israel first rebuffed a call from the U.S. State Department spokesman for an immediate withdrawal of its troops from the Palestinian areas on Monday, saying that the ongoing military operations will not end unless they achieve their goals.
Israel felt an increasing pressure to withdraw its forces on Tuesday, when Bush made a direct statement to that effect at a meeting with visiting Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres in Washington.
The United States was concerned that the massive Israeli operations might undermine its efforts to maintain the anti- terrorism coalition against the Afghan ruling Taliban regime for harboring Osama bin Laden, the chief suspect masterminding the September 11 terror attacks in the U.S..
Following Bush's intervention, Israeli security sources said that the army might be pulled out the Palestinian areas within the next two days.
The latest Israeli-Palestinian crisis, sparked by the assassination of Israeli Tourism Minister Rehavam Ze'evi last Wednesday and the massive Israeli offensive in the six Palestinian towns in the West Bank, has drawn a series of international mediatory efforts.
U.N. Mideast envoy Terjie Larsen, European Union envoy Miguel Moratinos, U.S. Jerusalem Consul general Ronald Schlicher, and Russian envoy Andrei Vdovin met with Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat on Tuesday, presenting a list of demands to crack down militants and restore a ceasefire.
The envoys also met with Israeli officials, urging Israel to immediately withdraw from the Palestinian areas, end its assassination policy and reengage the Palestinians in ceasefire talks.
Both Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Defense Minister Binyamin Ben Eliezer reiterated during their talks with the envoys that Israel has no intention of staying in the Palestinian areas, while urging Arafat to take actions to prevent attacks on Israel.
In addition to strong international reactions, the Israeli military operations have sparked protests from the Israeli left wingers, who are worried that the incursion into the Palestinian areas will turn the West Bank into a situation like Lebanon, where Israel stayed for 22 years after a military operation that was supposed to last 48 hours.
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