Israel's Prime Minister Ariel Sharon approved a plan Sunday morning for a partial Israeli pullout from the West Bank city of Hebron. The withdrawal is projected to start soon, officials said, according to the Israeli media.
Sharon, in consultation with top security officials, okayed a plan presented by Defense Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer as the continuation of a "Bethlehem-Gaza First" withdrawal initiative.
Under the plan, Israeli soldiers are to withdraw from much of Hebron, the reports added.
Outpost
Clashes broke out Saturday night between Israeli troops and hundreds of Jewish settlers, as the army and police tried to evacuate a rogue settlement near the West Bank town of Nablus, public radio said.
As a large number of Israeli security forces gathered to dismantle the outpost, they were met by hundreds of settlers who sat on the ground in an attempt to stop bulldozers and other equipment from reaching the outpost, the radio added.
At least 18 members of the Israeli security forces and ten settlers were lightly wounded in this incident. Three officers were wounded by blows to the head from stones thrown by settlers.
In a statement issued Saturday night by the Israeli Prime Minister's Office, Ariel Sharon criticized settlers for clashing with police and the Israeli army.
Burns
Also on Saturday, State Department's top Mideast envoy William Burns held talks with Jordan's King Abdullah II in the Red Sea port of Aqaba. According to a royal palace statement, Burns briefed Abdullah on a roadmap to solve the Palestinian-Israeli crisis. Abdullah urged a quick solution to the Middle East crisis, saying the diplomatic roadmap must lead to establishment of a Palestinian state soon, the statement said.
Abdullah advised the US envoy that peace efforts should be sped up "because of the difficult situation on the ground and must lead to the establishment of a Palestinian state within three years," a palace official told AFP. (Albawaba.com)
© 2002 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
