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Politics : PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: David Lawrence who wrote (310359)	10/22/2002 9:49:00 PM
From: JEB	Respond to of 769667

Palestinians Welcome Statehood Plan Oct 22, 1:48 PM (ET) By KARIN LAUB JERUSALEM (AP) - On the eve of a new U.S. mediation mission, Israel held off Tuesday on retaliating for a bombing that killed 14 Israelis, while the Palestinians said they welcomed Washington's phased plan for Palestinian statehood by 2005. It marked the first time in months that the Israeli military did not respond quickly to a major Palestinian attack. Prime Minister Ariel Sharon is under growing pressure to prevent an escalation in fighting as the United States courts moderate Arab countries in preparation for a possible U.S. strike against Iraq. Israeli Interior Minister Eli Yishai confirmed that U.S. interests were being considered. "There are those (in Israel) who say that we need to react now and immediately with all power and all force," Yishai told Israel Army Radio. "On the other hand, we could cause difficulties for the Americans. If the Americans attack Iraq, it's in our interest as well as that of the Americans." In Monday's bombing, the deadliest Palestinian attack in three months, a car stuffed with about 220 pounds of explosives rammed into a bus in northern Israel, turning it into a huge fireball. Fourteen bystanders and two attackers were killed, and 65 people were wounded. The attack, claimed by the militant Islamic Jihad group, came as U.S. Assistant Secretary of State William Burns planned talks Wednesday and Thursday with Israelis and Palestinians about a new U.S. peace plan. Palestinian Cabinet Minister Nabil Shaath, who met twice with Burns in the past week, on Tuesday provided what he said was a detailed outline of the U.S. proposal, complete with dates for each of three phases. The first stage would begin in November and end in April 2003, Shaath said. Israel and the Palestinians would declare a truce, followed by an Israeli withdrawal to positions held before the start of fighting in September 2000 and by Palestinian elections. In the second phase, from May to December 2003, a provisional Palestinian state would be established in parts of the West Bank and Gaza, with Israel dismantling some settlements and withdrawing further to allow for territorial contiguity of the fledgling entity, Shaath said. Talks on a final peace deal would begin in 2004 and be concluded by mid-2005, with the establishment of a Palestinian state. In the meeting with Burns on Thursday, "we will give him our positive position regarding this road map," Shaath said, adding Palestinian officials would ask for clarifications regarding a settlement freeze and monitoring of compliance. Raanan Gissin, a Sharon adviser, said the plan wouldn't work at the present level of violence. "We are being asked to make concessions which are irreversible, to give up territory and permit the establishment of a provisional Palestinian state," he said. "We cannot do this unless there is a significant drop in the level of terrorism." The Israelis scheduled consultations for late Tuesday to draw up a position on the U.S. proposal, which Sharon received in Washington last week. The bus bombing did not disrupt the U.S. mission, said Paul Patin, a spokesman for the U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv. "We can't change directions every time there is a suicide bombing," Patin said, adding that the United States condemned the attack. Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat also denounced Monday's bombing, but Israel held him ultimately responsible, saying his security forces have made no serious attempt to prevent attacks. The Palestinians say Israel's devastating military strikes have rendered their security forces powerless against the militants. Defense Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer said Israel would respond to the bus bombing in due time. In the past, Israel has launched military offensives in retaliation for major Palestinian attacks. This time, the response was expected to be more limited. Military officials suggested the gradual easing of work and travel restrictions on Palestinians might be frozen. Islamic Jihad on Tuesday identified Monday's bombers as Mohammed Hassanein and Ashraf Al Asmar, both 18, of the West Bank town of Jenin. Neither had known ties to Islamic Jihad, but it is customary for militant groups to recruit bombers in secret. In the West Bank city of Hebron on Tuesday, Israeli soldiers ordered residents to leave the home of a relative of a senior Islamic Jihad fugitive, Diab Shweiki. Soldiers then fired at the house, knocking bits of stone and dust from the walls of the home. Palestinian Parliament Speaker Ahmed Qureia said Arafat has formed a new Cabinet and would present it to the legislative council next week. Qureia did not divulge names. Palestinian officials said the council was unlikely to approve the new Cabinet, since the list contained some officials from the previous Cabinet who have been accused of corruption. That body resigned Sept. 11 ahead of a parliamentary no-confidence vote. apnews.excite.com