The joint Israeli-Palestinian security committee met Sunday evening in Tel Aviv, but concluded without reaching an agreement on drafting a cease-fire plan. The meeting was mediated by U.S. envoy Anthony Zinni.
The two sides disagree on whether the Israeli pullback from the territories and lifting of blockades on Palestinian cities should take place before or after the Palestinians increase action taken to prevent attacks on Israeli targets.
According to Haaretz, the sides also disagree on the length of time that should elapse from the implementation of the cease-fire (the Tenet document), to the phase during which diplomatic talks would start (the Mitchell Report). The diplomatic phase is to include a freeze on settlement expansion as well as a return to the negotiating table.
Israel has suggested that the original Tenet document be upheld for an entire month, while the Palestinians are suggesting a period of two weeks. Zinni is exerting pressure on Israel to compromise and accept the shorter time period.
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon will convene the expanded security cabinet Monday to decide whether Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat will be permitted to attend the Arab League Summit in Beirut on March 27-28.
Shooting Attack
An Israeli was killed in a shooting attack Sunday night south of the West Bank city of Hebron. The incident took place between the village of El-Fawar and the settlement of Beit Haggai.
The Israeli army has conducted a chase after a group of six individuals in the vicinity of Moshav Hamra, in the Jordan Valley. The cell was last seen approaching the houses in the moshav.
Earlier Sunday evening, three Palestinians were shot and killed by an Israeli force Sunday evening adjacent to Netzer Hazani, in the Gush Katif settlement bloc in the Gaza Strip. The three had apparently attempted to infiltrate Netzer Hazani and were most likely on their way to carry out an attack.
Initially, one Palestinian was killed by Israeli gunfire, while the other two sustained wounds and were able to escape. Israeli troops chased the two, and eventually succeeded in catching the two individuals and killing them.
Infiltrators
Israeli troops killed four men who had apparently crossed over from Jordan Sunday afternoon during a wide-scale operation on the southern slopes of the occupied Golan Heights, east of the Jewish settlement of Tel Katzir.
Around 2 P.M. (local time), Israeli soldiers spotted the four armed men close to the border with Jordan and opened fire. Three were killed instantly, while one managed to escape. He was located just a short time later and also killed.
The search for the infiltrators was launched after Israeli soldiers discovered tracks near the Israeli-Jordanian-Syrian border Sunday morning, shortly after a touch in the electronic border fence was recorded. Israeli army and police forces combed the area from first light for signs of a possible infiltration.
According to Israeli reports, the Jordanian army informed the Israeli side that it had killed two people overnight, who were apparently trying to cross into Israel, in the area close to the border. They were apparently killed before the tracks were discovered. It is thought that two of the infiltrators crossed back into Jordan and were shot dead by the Jordanian forces.
An official Jordanian military spokesman said on Sunday that a group of people at 8:15 pm Saturday night shot at a patrol on duty at the northern borders, where the Yarmouk and Jordan Rivers converge.
The group fled the scene and none of the personnel of the patrol was injured. The area was under search for the perpetrators, the statement said.
Settler Killed
One settler was killed in a shooting attack near the West Bank settlement of Ateret, north of Ramallah, Sunday morning. Israel Radio reported that Palestinians opened fire on the woman's car around 7.30 A.M. (local time), mortally wounding her. She succumbed to her wounds a short time later.
Israeli security forces conducted a search of the area for the gunmen, who escaped. One Israeli soldier was lightly wounded when the troops came under fire. Israel Radio quoted Palestinian sources as saying that a Palestinian policeman had been killed in the fire fight. Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades claimed responsibility for this attack.
(Albawaba.com)
© 2002 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
