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Israeli troops poised to leave most of Hebron
Knesset expected to OK West Bank accord
January 15, 1997
Web posted at: 10:00 p.m. EST (0300 GMT)Latest developments:
- Soldiers start moving furniture
- TV report makes Israeli Cabinet jittery
- Ross describes the difficult process
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JERUSALEM (CNN) -- After 12 hours of angry debate Wednesday, the Israeli Cabinet approved the new agreement on Hebron troop redeployment, while the Palestinian Cabinet easily passed the U.S.-brokered deal.
The Israeli Cabinet vote just after midnight was 11-7, after hard-line members spent the day denouncing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for betraying the conservative cause by agreeing to troop withdrawals from much of Hebron and West Bank rural areas.
Science Minister Benny Begin, son of Israel's late Prime Minister Menachem Begin, resigned in protest after the vote.
"The prime minister committed himself to give away sections of the Jewish homeland. He gets zero from Arafat," Begin said, referring to Palestinian Authority President Yasser Arafat.
The Palestinian vote came earlier Wednesday evening. Members passed the historic accord by a large majority, said Information Minister Yasser Abed Rabbo, but he declined to provide the vote count. The Palestine Liberation Organization's executive committee also gave its blessing.
The agreement will be considered Thursday by the Israeli Knesset, or parliament, where it is expected to pass easily with the support of leftist opposition parties.
The peace agreement calls for the redeployment of Israeli troops in the West Bank in three phases, ending no later than late 1998. That includes Israeli troop withdrawals from 80 percent of Hebron, originally scheduled for last March. Hebron is the last West Bank city under Israeli occupation.
Soldiers start moving furniture
The troop withdrawal from Hebron is expected to start as soon as the Knesset gives its approval. Security sources said redeployment would take less than 48 hours. By Wednesday evening, Israeli troops were already moving furniture out of Hebron headquarters.
Israeli security sources said police and soldiers had been deployed in Hebron to prevent unrest ahead of the pullback. Israeli troops set up new roadblocks around Hebron, checking motorists. Israelis were barred from entering the Arab neighborhoods of the overwhelmingly Palestinian city.
Workers hung Arafat posters on lamp posts, and moved office equipment into a two-story building that is to serve as a Palestinian police station.
TV report makes Israeli Cabinet jittery
To indicate how sensitive the Hebron issue is in Israel, the Israeli Cabinet suspended discussion for about a half-hour on the basis of an Israeli television report.
The program quoted an unidentified, low-level U.S. State Department official as saying Washington would not guarantee portions of the deal. Washington's support and guidance was instrumental in making the agreement happen.
U.S. Envoy Dennis Ross, who brokered the talks, promptly refuted the report. He called Cabinet members individually, after which they resumed their talks.
And at Netanyahu's suggestion, the Israeli Cabinet decided that each stage of withdrawal would have to be debated and authorized by them. Netanyahu apparently intended that to reassure wavering Cabinet members.
Netanyahu worked through the long day trying to convince the hawks in his Cabinet that the agreement was in Israel's best interest. About 30 protesters gathered outside the meeting.
Israeli Cabinet approval of the deal is not required by law, but it is considered politically crucial to the stability of Netanyahu's Likud government.
Ross describes the difficult process
Netanyahu and Arafat finalized the long-elusive agreement in late-night talks at the symbolically neutral Erez Crossing, on the border between Israel and the West Bank. Neither leader spoke to reporters, but they did shake hands.
Ross said in a CNN interview Wednesday that the negotiations were difficult because of their scope and importance to all involved.
"This was not a simple problem because it has great emotional and symbolic significance for both sides," Ross said.
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About 150,000 Palestinians and 450 Jewish settlers live in Hebron. The remaining Israeli troops will serve primarily as protective forces for the Jewish settlers who live in the heart of the city.
Details on how the redeployments will be carried out and how much territory will be turned over to the Palestinians remain to be worked out. Ross said the new agreement was not intended to spell out those details, but to reassert that all phases of the redeployment will be completed.
The accord includes a nine-page protocol on the Israeli troop withdrawal from Hebron and a three-page "note for the record," summarizing the agreement on further redeployments. Accompanying the document are letters from U.S. Secretary of State Warren Christopher to Netanyahu and Arafat.
The final status of the West Bank and Gaza is to be determined in negotiations to begin within two months, according to the new deadline set in Wednesday's accord.
Special section:
CNN Interactive's extended coverageRelated stories:
- Israeli Cabinet passes Hebron deal after tense debate - January 15, 1997
- Hebron deal complete, hard sell begins - January 15, 1997
- Israelis, Palestinians sign accord on Hebron - January 14, 1997
- Arafat, Netanyahu to meet on Hebron deal - January 14, 1997
- Still more talks scheduled on Hebron deal - January 13, 1997
Related sites:
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- U.S. State Department: Israel travel warning
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- Islamic Association for Palestine
- Arab.net
- Virtual Jerusalem
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