West Bank
Withdrawal Delayed

Palestinians want lands

closer to those already
under the control of the

Palestinian Authority.

Je rusalem/JTA
planned Israeli withdrawal
from the West Bank has
hit a snag. Israel post-
poned its redeployment
from an additional 5 percent of the
West Bank, originally slated to take
place Monday, when Palestinian offi-
cials complained about some of the
lands being turned over to them.
After negotiators for the two sides
failed to overcome their differences
about the redeployment maps, Israeli
Prime Minister Ehud Barak and
Palestinian Authority President
Yasser Arafat held a surprise meeting
Sunday night near Tel Aviv — but

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An Israeli policeman, left, he was not taking sides.
they, too, were unable
speaks with a Palestinian "The best place to sort
to reach agreement.
out problems is by the
The dispute came as policeman, right, as
parties themselves," he
Israeli workers dismantle
the U.S. Middle East
said. Ross added that it is
a
mobile
building
that
envoy, Dennis Ross,
Israel's responsibility to
was
part
of
an
Israeli
arrived in the region in
carry out the pullback.
police
station
in
Dotan,
an effort to advance
Under the terms of the
near
the
West
Bank
town
the peace process.
land-for-security
accord
of Jenin Monday.
Israeli officials were
signed
in
September
in
quoted as saying they
Egypt,
Israel
agreed
to
withdraw
believe the Palestinian Authority may
from an additional 18.1 percent of
have delayed agreement in hopes of
West
Bank lands in three stages. In
securing a better arrangement as a
September,
Israel transferred 7 per-
result of Ross' intervention.
cent
of
the
West
Bank to joint
But by Tuesday, after Ross held
Israeli-Palestinian control. In the
separate talks with Israeli and
second stage, which was to be car-
Palestinian officials, it was clear that

ried out Monday, Israel was to trans-
fer 2 percent of the land to sole
Palestinian control and an additional
3 percent to joint control.
On Jan. 20, Israel will hand over
an additional 6.1 percent of the
region. The latest dispute centered
on the area being transferred to joint
control. Palestinian officials com-
plained that the lands involved —
located in the Judean Desert and
designated by Israel to become a
nature reserve — are too thinly pop-
ulated.
Instead, they are calling for the
transfer of areas closer to land they
already control — and with a more