© 2001 WorldNetDaily.com

THURSDAY
JUNE 28
2001

Israel and Yasser Arafat's Palestinian Authority have both agreed to scale down combat activity in a three-week cooling-off period monitored by armed U.S. and European peacekeepers, according to DEBKA-Net-Weekly sources in Washington, Paris, Jerusalem and Ramallah.

According to an agreement finalized in meetings between President Bush and Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon this week, neither side in the conflict may demand an absolute cessation of combat activity.

Arafat has pledged to pursue active measures to halt terrorist operations, including the detention of dangerous terrorists; Sharon, in return, will order Israel’s armed forces to desist from military operations against Palestinian targets.

The cooling-off period will be cut down from the six weeks demanded by Sharon to three, and the cease-fire period reduced from 10 to five days.

An international observer force of 50 to 100 American personnel will monitor the ceasefire. A mixed U.S.-European Union steering committee will be the final authority on violations. The U.S. will provide the observers with light arms and APCs, as well as logistics and communication equipment. The force will be expanded as needed with the consent of both parties.

The observer force will step out of its monitoring function to separate the parties, in the event of clashes, according to DEBKA sources. The force will supervise the collection from Palestinians of heavy weapons that violate the 1993 Oslo Framework Accords, such as mortars and Katyusha rockets. The impounded weapons will be deposited with the Palestinian Authority for safekeeping.

Israel will also restrict the types of weapons distributed to Jewish settlers for self-defense.

The observer force will be authorized to enter Palestinian areas and Jewish settlements in the West Bank and Gaza Strip to confirm that these accords are upheld.

After the three-week truce, Israel and the Palestinians will commence diplomatic negotiations, in the presence of U.S. and EU representatives.

The U.S. government will stand as guarantor for Israel’s observance of the agreement, while EU leaders underwrite Palestinian compliance.

Political observers note this is the first time any U.S. administration has consented to the Europeans playing an active role in the Israel-Palestinian dispute. The creation of an international observer force with European elements has been one of Arafat’s most vocal demands since the intifada erupted last September. This demand was consistently resisted by every Israeli and U.S. government until now.

U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell’s announcement after his meeting with the Palestinian leader in Ramallah today, that international observers were acceptable to Washington, constitutes a major Palestinian triumph.

The Israeli prime minister, in contrast, will need to sell his surrender on this issue -- not only to the settlers and hawks of his camp, but to Israel’s generals in the high command, who will deeply resent this limitation on their freedom to combat terrorism.