Israel has mostly withdrawn its troops and tanks from the northern West Bank town of Tulkarem, while a top-ranking European Union delegation has begun making the rounds of Middle Eastern leaders in hopes of spurring new Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, according to reports.
But Israeli forces will stay in positions outside the town, reported the BBC Online, and it will still be under seige, meaning that residents are barred from leaving and entering.
And while Israel said the withdrawal was complete, Palestinian officials said the occupiers were maintaining two small positions inside the town, the UK-based news service added.
In what it called operations to prevent attacks by Palestinian militants, Israel moved troops and tanks into or around six cities in the West Bank after the Oct. 17 assassination of far-right Tourism Minister Rehavam Zeevi.
Zeevi's killers, from the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, said the assassination came in response to the earlier murder of their own leader by a missile fired from one of Israel's US-made attack helicopters.
The army had withdrawn from four of the re-occupied areas prior to the Tulkarem move, said Reuters, and was still in Palestinian areas around the city of Jenin.
However, those troops and tanks are widely expected to leave before a visit to the US early next month by Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, added the agency.
At least 705 Palestinians and 188 Israelis have been killed since the September 2000 eruption of the latest Palestinian uprising against 34 years of Israeli military occupation.
EU DELEGATES SWEEP THROUGH REGION ON PEACE QUEST
Top leaders from the European Union met Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and Palestinian President Yasser Arafat on Saturday, and are due for talks with Israeli leaders on Sunday, said the BBC.
The delegation, headed by current EU president Guy Verhofstadt, European Commission head Romano Prodi and foreign policy chief Javier Solana, have said that a Palestinian state is an essential part of any peace deal, said the news service.
Verhofstadt said after the meeting with Mubarak that there was an urgent need for stability in the region, reflecting the deep concern of the Western allies with soothing Arab public opinion since launching the war in Afghanistan, especially while continuing their bombing during the current Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
This is the highest-level European mission to the region since the latest conflict between Israel and the Palestinians erupted 14 months ago, added the BBC.
However, expectations are low. Reuters has quoted European officials as saying it is too early to expect tangible results from the delegation's visit to Egypt, Israel, Syria, Jordan, Lebanon and the Palestinian Authority.
On Monday, US Secretary of State Colin Powell is due to deliver what is being regarded as a key speech on the Middle East, said the agency, adding that analysts believe that progress will only be made via the US, not the EU - Albawaba.com
© 2001 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
