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King Hussein visits West Bank
October 15, 1996
Web posted at: 9:40 a.m. EDT (1340 GMT)(CNN) -- Jordan's King Hussein flew into Jericho Tuesday morning, his first trip into the West Bank since losing the territory to Israel following the 1967 Mideast war. The king -- the first Arab ruler to visit an autonomous Palestinian area -- met with Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat and pledged Jordan's continued backing.
"I am happy to be on Palestinian land," Hussein said during a joint news conference with Arafat. "We will support our brothers by all means."
Hussein flew with Arafat to the West Bank from Amman, Jordan, where the two leaders held talks Monday. Arafat came to Jordan to discuss the latest round of Palestinian-Israeli peace talks, which appear stalled over the issue of Israeli troops in Hebron.
Arafat on Tuesday suggested deployment of an international security force, including U.S. troops, to answer Israeli concerns about keeping Jewish settlements in the region safe. But U.S. officials quickly rejected the idea.
Officials from both sides Monday said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Arafat would likely meet soon to announce an agreement on the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Hebron.
But Netanyahu spokesman David Bar-Illan said Tuesday that the prime minister and Arafat would not meet until the end of the negotiations.
"Obviously, the meeting will not be for hard bargaining," he said.
Talks between principal negotiators for the two sides were postponed Tuesday in favor of more informal meetings. The formal talks were to resume at the Egyptian resort Taba on Wednesday, U.S. mediator Dennis Ross said.
Closer to an agreement
Implementation of the long-delayed redeployment from Hebron has been the main sticking point in the current Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations. But Foreign Minister David Levy told Israeli's parliament Monday that an agreement between Israelis and the Palestinians was just days away.
"If there is no retreat at the last moment, the agreement is approaching. This is not a matter of weeks, but of a few days," Levy said.
In a 1995 agreement signed in Washington, Israel had agreed to begin the Hebron withdrawal in March. The deployment was delayed by the previous Israeli government because of security concerns after Islamic militant suicide bombings killed 59 people in Israel in March and February.The withdrawal was frozen indefinitely by Netanyahu after he was elected prime minister in May. He has demanded changes in the deal to ensure the security of some 400 Jewish settlers who live amidst 100,000 Palestinians in Hebron.
Netanyahu survives no-confidence motion
Netanyahu's right-wing coalition handily defeated a no-confidence motion Monday -- the second of its four-month-old term -- by a vote of 55-49 with two abstentions. The outcome in Netanyahu's favor was expected.
The no-confidence motion followed grumbling from opposition politicians that the Israeli leader has alienated Arabs, squandering peace in the process. Netanyahu, however, blames "a natural tendency in the Arab world" to pressure Israel for concessions. (15 sec. /320K AIFF or WAV sound)
Nevertheless, the near collapse of Israel's relations with Egypt after Netanyahu's election saw Israel's ceremonial president, Ezer Weizman, dispatched to Cairo Monday on a sort of rescue mission.
Although Weizman does not have the authority to negotiate a peace agreement, Netanyahu said he hoped the trip to Egypt "will help in the bilateral relations." Weizman assured Egypt that the Israeli government would respect and implement agreements it has reached with the Palestinians, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak said.
Netanyahu has signaled that he intends to use recent Palestinian-Israeli violence -- most notably the firing by Palestinian police on Israeli soldiers -- to build a political consensus supporting his objection to further significant concessions beyond the Hebron withdrawal.
Four-and-a-half months in office have shown Netanyahu to be supremely confident. Despite the turmoil, he believes his policies are right for Israel and can be implemented even at the risk of further alienating Israel's Arab peace partners and the United States.
Jerusalem Bureau Chief Walter Rodgers and Reuters contributed to this report.
Related stories:
- Peres, Arafat meet; Arab leaders shun Netanyahu - October 13, 1996
- Muslims delay mosque opening to avoid clash with Israelis - October 10, 1996
- Mideast talks to continue Thursday - October 9, 1996
- Mideast officials express hope as talks continue - October 7, 1996
Related sites:
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- Special Section - Struggle for Peace
- Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs
- Islamic Association for Palestine
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