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Israelis, Palestinians sign accord on Hebron
January 14, 1997
Web posted at: 7:35 p.m. EST (0035 GMT)EREZ CROSSING, Gaza Strip (CNN) -- Israelis and Palestinians signed an accord Wednesday morning that contains provisions for Israeli troop withdrawals from Hebron and other parts of the West Bank, an Israeli spokesman said. The signing signaled a major breakthrough in Mideast peace talks.
The spokesman said the agreement was signed by Israeli chief negotiator Dan Shomron and his Palestinian counterpart. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian Authority President Yasser Arafat began meeting early Wednesday to try to finalize the deal.
A L S O :
With Hebron deal signed, parties strive to sustain momentum
Netanyahu's shifts have left some questioning his leadership
The long-anticipated summit was held at the symbolic middle ground of Erez Crossing, between Israel and the Gaza Strip. Netanyahu was flanked by adviser Dore Gold and chief Israeli negotiator Dan Shomron as he walked into a two-story concrete building on the Israeli side. Arafat arrived with his aides. U.S. Envoy Dennis Ross also arrived for the talks.
The meeting followed days of intensive negotiations by the two sides on an agreement to remove Israeli troops from most of Hebron, and to set dates for further West Bank withdrawals.
The prime minister said before the meeting that finalizing a deal would require some good will from Arafat, with the two men needing to resolve several issues that lower-level negotiators were unable to settle.
U.S.-brokered negotiations began in October to push along an Israeli troop withdrawal from 80 percent of Hebron that was scheduled for last March.
About 150,000 Palestinians and 450 Jewish settlers live in Hebron, the last West Bank city under Israeli control. The remaining Israeli troops will serve primarily as protective forces for the Jewish settlers who live in the heart of the city.
Once Arafat and Netanyahu finalize a deal, it is to be initialed by the chief negotiators from both sides, then presented to both cabinets for approval.
Netanyahu faces a potential revolt from the right, with seven of his 18 Cabinet ministers saying they will vote against the agreement and two more wavering.
Netanyahu is not required to win the cabinet's approval for the deal to go through, but it would be difficult to proceed if members voted against it.
The two sides have agreed to a timetable for a three-stage Israeli troop withdrawal from West Bank rural areas. Under a compromise brokered last weekend by Jordan's King Hussein, Arafat agreed to allow Israel to complete the withdrawal by August 1998, rather than by September 1997, the deadline set in the autonomy accords.
The two sides were also reportedly haggling over the wording of so-called "notes for the record" to be attached to the agreement by the United States. The notes would list commitments made by the two sides during the talks, including issues to be discussed at future negotiations.
Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, who has advised Arafat during the course of the negotiations, said Tuesday he expected the troop redeployment to begin by the end of February.
Correspondent Jerrold Kessel, The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.
Special section:
CNN Interactive's extended coverageRelated stories:
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- Still more talks scheduled on Hebron deal - January 13, 1997
- U.S. envoy scrambles to salvage Hebron deal - January 6, 1997
- Arafat, Netanyahu hold secret meeting - January 5, 1997
- Both sides drift apart on 'imminent' Hebron deal - January 4, 1997
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