Signs of cooperation seen in Israel

JERUSALEM — Israel is prepared to coordinate its pullout from Gaza with a new Palestinian government, officials said Sunday, a shift from Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s concept of “unilateral disengagement” and a sign that cooperation may be restored in the post-Arafat era.

Security forces already are quietly cooperating with each other, Israeli officials said. One went so far as to say, “It’s back to business.”

However, Palestinian and Israeli security sources said beyond routine contacts at field commander level, which have been maintained despite the violence, no coordination is under way.

In the Rafah refugee camp on the Gaza-Egyptian border late Sunday, an Israeli tank fired a shell at three Palestinians crawling in a forbidden zone, the military said. Palestinians said two wounded men were brought to a hospital. The fate of the third was unknown.

Palestinians said in addition, a doctor was killed and another man was hurt in a salvo of 12 Israeli tank shells in the camp. They said the two were playing cards next to a fire when they were hit by shrapnel.

Since Arafat’s death Nov. 11, both sides have been projecting positive signals about cooperation for Palestinian elections on Jan. 9 and resumption of peace talks. Israel boycotted Arafat, charging he was involved in terrorism, and no significant contacts between the two sides have taken place for more than a year.

Now, the Israelis are promoting the idea that with Arafat gone, things can change.

In separate interviews with News-week magazine, Sharon said he would be willing to coordinate the handover of Gaza with Palestinian forces, and interim Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas said he would take responsibility for the areas, but only after his security arm is rebuilt.

“I think there is an understanding that this is an opportunity that both sides cannot miss,” Sharon spokesman Raanan Gissin said.

“The goal is to return back to the ‘road map’ to peace … and from there move to political negotiations.”

Israel and the Palestinians signed the U.S.-backed “road map” peace plan in June 2003, but the plan quickly stalled amid violations by both sides. The Palestinians failed to crack down on militant groups, while Israel did not meet its obligations to halt construction of settlements in the West Bank and dismantle unauthorized settlement outposts.

In Cairo, Egypt, Abbas said the original peace plan timetable for a Palestinian state in 2005 “is time enough to negotiate and put an end to this problem.” He rejected interim accords as a “waste of time.”