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Phone call fails to clinch Israel-PLO deal
In this story:
- Hoping for a deal
- Other issues
- Related stories and sites
November 11, 1996
Web posted at: 11:10 a.m. EST (1610 GMT)JERUSALEM (CNN) --Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu discussed the Hebron situation in a telephone call to Palestinian President Yasser Arafat Sunday. In an interview with CNN, Netanyahu said the delaying tactics of the Palestinians jeopardized the entire Israeli redeployment. (208K/19 sec. AIFF or WAV sound)
Palestinian peace negotiator Hassan Asfour said."Netanyahu called Arafat last night and he reiterated his commitment to implementing the deals, but as far as we are concerned this is only a verbal commitment,"
"It is not translated in the talks and they do not give it to us on paper," Asfour told Reuters.
Israeli concern for the security of Jews in the West Bank city has held up its transfer to Palestinian self-rule. Some 400 Jews live there among 100,000 Arabs.
Under a deal signed in 1995, Israeli troops will redeploy and Palestinian police will move in.Hoping for a deal
Palestinian officials had hoped to clinch a deal on the long-delayed pullback during a three-day Middle East economic conference starting Tuesday in Cairo.
Israel Radio said Netanyahu had hoped for a deal before he leaves on Wednesday for a planned week-long visit to the United States.
But Arafat, asked about Israeli media reports that a deal might be two days away, told reporters in Gaza that the Israelis so far "are putting only appointments and appointments but nothing has been achieved till now."
He then flew to Cairo, where he was to meet Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and U.S. Secretary of State Warren Christopher.
Netanyahu said he would not be attending the conference but a senior Israeli official said Foreign Minister David Levy would attend.
Other issues
Netanyahu told Arafat in the phone call that after a Hebron accord, the sides could discuss other issues including an easing of a closure restricting the number of Palestinians allowed to work in Israel, Israeli spokesman Shai Bazak said.
"Arafat told the prime minister he understands the points the prime minister raised," Bazak said in a statement.
But PLO officials said Arafat did not agree to the points raised by Netanyahu and told him that Palestinian proposals on security arrangements in Hebron were sufficient.
They said the Palestinian leadership doubted Netanyahu intended to close a deal soon because he refused to commit himself on paper to implementing accords signed by Israel's previous government, like the Hebron deal.
Reuters contributed to this report.
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Related stories:
- Israeli soldiers kill Palestinian at protest - November 10, 1996
- Israeli police clash with demonstrators in Hebron, arrest 12 - November 9, 1996
- Israeli soldiers kill infiltrator from Jordan - November 2, 1996
- Israel says Hebron deal within reach - October 27, 1996
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