Скачать или смотреть ISRAEL: ISRAELI CABINET DECIDE ON WEST BANK WITHDRAWALS

(19 Mar 2000) English/Nat

The Israeli Cabinet met on Sunday morning to decide on further withdrawals from the West Bank.

Despite protests by Jewish settlers, Ehud Barak gave the go-ahead to a handover of 6.1 percent of the West Bank to full Palestinian control, paving the way for the renewal of U-S-brokered peace talks on Tuesday.

The announcement enhances Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat's claims that his people will have their own state by the end of the year.

The long wait for Israel's promised West Bank withdrawals looks finally to be over after Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak on Sunday gave the go-ahead to redeployment.

The withdrawal of Israeli troops from six point one per cent of the West Bank and the handing over of land to Palestinian control is part of the Sharem El-Shekh agreement.

The deal was implemented in September last year, beginning with the release of 199 Palestinian prisoners.

The handover was also supposed to take place in September but was delayed because of disagreements over the areas to be transferred.

The Israeli redeployment is expected to take place either on Monday or Tuesday, despite protests from Jewish settlers.

They held demonstrations at major checkpoints near Jerusalem.

The settlers say some of the villages to come under Palestinian control are too close to Jewish settlements.

SOUNDBITE: (English)
"You see the houses very very close on the road of the Touneah. The Touneah is supposed to this week go over to "A" area under full Palestinian authority which means we're going to have the guns of Arafat right here in these houses right on the main road very very close to the main road going down to Modain and Tel Aviv."
SUPER CAPTION: Vox pop, Jewish settler

The handover will come just hours before peace talks are due to resume in Washington.

Palestinian and Israeli officials will return to the negotiating table in Washington on Tuesday to try to settle a permanent peace treaty by September.

Among other issues to be discussed will be the plight of five (m) million Palestinians who have become displaced or refugees since Israel was established in 1948.

Speaking at a press conference, Israel's deputy defence minister Ephraim Sneh confirmed the government's decision to withdraw troops.

SOUNDBITE: (English)
"The government, half an hour ago, voted and approved the transfer of 6.1 percent from the territory of the West Bank to what we call Zone A, which is full Palestinian authority, responsibility for the security, and administrative authority as well."
SUPER CAPTION: Ephraim Sneh, Israeli Deputy Defence Minister

Sixteen cabinet ministers voted for the decision to withdraw from the West Bank, but the decision wasn't unanimous.

Six voted against it and one abstained in a decision which gives the Palestinians an important step towards declaring itself an independent state.

In the move announced by the Israeli cabinet, five point one percent of the West Bank will be handed over for absolute Palestinian control.

In the remaining one percent, the Palestinians will have administrative control while Israel will still retain responsibility for security in the area.

SOUNDBITE: (English)
"The real change here, the substantial change here beyond technicalities and the figures is that all the towns, all the Palestinian towns in the West Bank are transferred to full Palestinian authority. From this week on, 60 percent of the Palestinians in the West Bank will live under full Palestinian authority. This is the real change."
SUPER CAPTION: Ephraim Sneh, Israeli Deputy Defence Minister









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