Israel Won’t Yield On West Bank Closure May Be Lifted, But No Handover Until Terror Controlled

Israel rejected a Palestinian demand that it surrender control of parts of the rural West Bank within days, saying Sunday that Yasser Arafat must first act vigorously against Islamic militants.

But in a conciliatory gesture, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Cabinet agreed - in principle - to gradually lift the closure of the West Bank and Gaza Strip, which was imposed after July 30 suicide bombings in Jerusalem.

“It will probably be lifted in stages,” Netanyahu adviser David Bar-Illan told The Associated Press. “There is no timetable or schedule for lifting the closure. … Security officials think that the time may be ripe soon for lifting the closure.”

Palestinians raised their demands for Israel’s withdrawal from the rural West Bank this weekend, in a move that seemed timed to increase pressure on Israel before Secretary of State Madeleine Albright’s Sept. 10 trip to the region.

The Palestinians say prior peace agreements clearly imply that Israeli troops withdraw from the rural West Bank by Sept. 7.

“If there will not be an implementation by Sept. 7, the peace process will lose its credibility,” Palestinian negotiator Nabil Shaath said.

Bar-Illan called the Palestinian demand “unacceptable.” He said Israel’s agreement with the Palestinians does not specify a date for its next withdrawal.

“The Palestinians have not kept one item of the Oslo (peace) agreement to which they are committed,” he said. “It is really quite incredible that the Palestinians are now saying that we are not keeping our side of the agreement.”

Netanyahu briefed his Cabinet Sunday on Albright’s visit, and said Israel was demanding that the Palestinian Authority “fulfill its commitments, first and foremost, in security matters, especially in the war against terrorism, which has still not been done.”

Israel’s Channel 2 TV said security officials warned the Cabinet that Islamic militant groups might be planning attacks to sabotage Albright’s visit.

Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat said the Palestinian Authority was fulfilling its security obligations. He insisted a Sept. 7 deadline is clearly understood from the Israel-Palestinian agreements because it is six months after the first scheduled withdrawal.

Under the interim Israel-Palestinian peace pacts, the Palestinians gained autonomy in eight cities in the West Bank and partial control over more than 500 villages. They also control most of the Gaza Strip.

Israel retained control of more than 70 percent of the West Bank, although most of the Palestinian population is in the autonomous areas.