ISRAEL/JERUSALEM: ISRAEL AGREES TO HAND OVER TWO WEST BANK CITIES/ISRAEL TO CONSIDER WHETHER TO FREE PRISONERS INVOLVED IN ATTACKS

Record ID: 400239

  • Title: ISRAEL/JERUSALEM: ISRAEL AGREES TO HAND OVER TWO WEST BANK CITIES/ISRAEL TO CONSIDER WHETHER TO FREE PRISONERS INVOLVED IN ATTACKS
  • Date: 14th March 2005
  • Summary: (BN16)HERZLIYA, ISRAEL (MARCH 14, 2005) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) 1. SLV OF PALESTINIAN MINISTER NASSER YOUSSEF'S CAR CONVOY ARRIVING AT MEETING ISRAELI DEFENCE MINISTER SHAUL MOFAZ TO DISCUSS ISRAELI WITHDRAWAL FROM WEST BANK CITIES (2 SHOTS) 0.40 2. SLV EXTERIOR OF HOTEL 0.49 (BN11)JERUSALEM (MARCH 14, 2005) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) 3.
  • Embargoed: 29th March 2005 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: HERZLIYA, ISRAEL/ JERUSALEM
  • City:
  • Country: Israel
  • Reuters ID: LVA4FKGVF7RM1RIUM8ARAQTS1EG4
  • Story Text: Israel agrees to hand over two West Bank cities/
    Israel to consider whether to free prisoners involved in
    attacks.



    Israel has agreed to a long delayed troop withdrawal
    from three West Bank cities, Israel Radio reported on
    Monday.

    Security sources said "an agreement was shaping up" for
    Israeli troops to withdraw from the West Bank town of
    Jericho on Wednesday, and from Tulkarm early next week.

    Israel would also discuss a pullback from the town of
    Qalqilya next week, the sources said.

    Israel Radio said Israel and the Palestinians had
    concluded the deal for a withdrawal from Jericho this week,
    and Tulkarm and Qalqilya next week. But security sources
    said these
    agreement were not final.

    Israel had promised to withdraw troops from five West
    Bank cities in advance of a peace summit in Egypt on Feb. 8.

    Then the step was delayed for weeks over disagreement
    about the scope of the withdrawal.

    The security sources said Israeli Defence Minister
    Shaul Mofaz and Palestinian Interior Minister Nasser
    Youssef were discussing the details of the planned
    pullbacks at a meeting
    near Tel Aviv, including how many checkpoints Israel would
    remove. Palestinian officials had no immediate comment.

    The pullback agreement came ahead of talks in Cairo
    planned for Tuesday where Abbas will seek to persuade
    Palestinian militant groups to formalise their agreement to
    a ceasefire with
    Israel.

    In Jerusalem, Israeli Justice Minister Tsipi Livni
    told Palestinian officials at a meeting to coordinate a
    promised prisoner release that Israel agrees for the first
    time to "study" a Palestinian demand to free prisoners
    convicted by Israel of involvement in attacks, political
    sources said.

    Israel has previously refused to include any
    Palestinians involved in attacks on a list of prisoners it
    had promised to free after a Feb. 8 peace summit.

    Palestinian Minister of Prisoner Affairs Sufian Abu
    Zeideh had asked her to consider freeing Palestinians
    jailed for attacks committed before 1994, when Palestinians
    won partialself-rule under an interim peace accord, the
    sources said.

    Israel freed 500 Palestinian prisoners on Feb. 21 but
    delayed releasing a remaining 400 after a suicide bombing
    occurred several days later in Tel Aviv, killing five
    Israelis. Freeing prisoners is a key confidence building measure
    sought by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to win the
    support
    of militants for his ceasefire with Israel.

    Livni met Palestinian officials in Jerusalem for more
    than two hours to coordinate a second release. No date for
    another release was set, but the officials agreed to meet
    again in about two weeks, the sources said.



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