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CNN Live Sunday

Israel Offers to Withdraw From West Bank

Aired August 18, 2002 - 17:14   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: More now on Israel's proposal to withdraw from the West Bank. On the phone with us is Jerrold Kessel. Jerrold, if you can hear me OK, this apparently comes after about three hours of meetings between Israeli and Palestinian officials, right?
JERROLD KESSEL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Fredricka, and a surprising development but certainly a positive one given the tenor of relations between the Israelis and Palestinians in recent months, an agreement, tentative agreement from the two sides to begin implementing a program which has been labeled Gaza First but it really affects both Gaza and the town of Bethlehem on the West Bank.

You could call it a tentative cease-fire. It's not the term - that's not being applied but it is effectively that. The idea is that the Israelis will begin withdrawing from Palestinian civilian centers, which they've occupied in recent months, reoccupied, and in return for that the Palestinians are saying that they will do their best to maintain quiet and to prevent any form of violence against Israelis emanating from those Palestinian towns.

At the same time, the Israelis say that they will, if it works and there is quiet in those particular areas, they will begin lifting and easing the pressures that have been applied on Palestinian civilians, whether it's roadblocks or economic pressures that have made - very much increased the hardship on ordinary Palestinians.

Now the breakthrough came this evening after three hours of talks in Tel Aviv, the talks headed by Israel's Defense Minister Mr. Ben Eliezer and the new Palestinian Interior Minister Abdel Razak al- Yehiya and the two sides agreeing that in the first instance, the principles will be applied to the Gaza area and to Bethlehem on the West Bank with the hope that if quiet is maintained in these two areas, then it will gradually be applied to the other towns, the Palestinian population centers throughout the West Bank where the Israeli forces have been operating for the last several weeks and more in a bid to curb Palestinian violence and suicide bombers coming out of there.

Surprising development, a positive one, but really the true test will be in the performance on the ground to see if it does work, but both sides are saying that the implementation will begin from as early as tomorrow. Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right, thanks very much, Jerrold Kessel, on the telephone. TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com