Israel partially accepts pullback deal

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said yesterday on CNN that Israel’s agreement with the United States was “almost complete about the amount of land that we would hand over.”

“It is territory that is uninhabited by Palestinians but is very important for our security.”

Netanyahu said the remaining issue was “to make sure that the land that we hand over to the Palestinians does not become a base for continued terrorist attacks against Israel.”

Gold said Yasser Arafat’s Palestinian Authority must break up terrorist cells on land it already holds on the West Bank and in Gaza and confiscate weapons.

On the Palestinian side, YasserKidwa, who heads the Palestinian delegation to the United Nations, said reaching a final agreement was impossible at this stage. He said Albright and her team were trying to reach agreements on several issues, and “we are not against that.”

Nabil Shaath, a senior Palestinian official and negotiator, said, however, the Palestinians told Albright “that we are insisting on the package deal, and we are not ready to accept anything less than that.”

Albright meanwhile met Arafat again and planned to see Netanyahu last night. She held back-to-back meetings with the two leaders on Saturday night as well.

But even as Israel inched closer to an agreement for a troop pullback, Arafat seemed poised to rock the boat with a symbolic speech before the General Assembly.

In a speech today to world leaders gathered for the Assembly’s annual debate, Arafat was expected to restate his intention to declare an independent Palestinian state on May 4 next year, regardless of whether a final peace agreement with Israelhas been negotiated.

The forum has particular significance: never before has Arafat — or any other Palestinian — addressed the audience from the podium during the regular debate. The Palestinian observer mission was granted that right earlier this summer.

Arafat was expected to use the speech to seek support for his plans from UN member states who routinely back the Palestinian cause over Israeli interests in UN matters.

He refused yesterday to back away from his stated plans despite pleas from the United States and warnings from Israel to refrain from any provocative declaration.

Netanyahu had insisted on Saturday that a Palestinian state would be a threat to Israeli security, saying it “could deploy Iraqi soldiers, missile batteries” in areas under its control.

The Palestinian representative to the United States, Hassan Abdel Rahman, would not say if Arafat would make a direct promise in his address.

“He will certainly talk about the date of May 4. It is a very important date, and he willtalk about the Palestinians’ desire for the creation of a state,” Abdel Rahman said.