Netanyahu Insists Israel Have Sole Control of Hebron Shrine

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday rejected Palestinian demands for shared control of a disputed religious shrine in Hebron, saying that Israel alone will patrol the Cave of the Patriarchs.

On the verge of an agreement over an Israeli troop withdrawal from most of Hebron, the last West Bank city under Israeli control, Netanyahu also told a group of 350 visiting American college students that Israelis will remain in Hebron “forever.”

Palestinian negotiator Hassan Asfour said Netanyahu’s declaration “negates the spirit of peace.”

Both sides said an agreement on turning over 80% of Hebron to Palestinian control could be reached this week. Under previous accords, the redeployment of Israeli troops originally was scheduled for March, but it was delayed after a series of suicide bombings in Israel that killed 63 people.

Palestinian Authority President Yasser Arafat met Israeli Defense Minister Yitzhak Mordecai late Sunday in the Gaza Strip to iron out some differences before U.S. mediator Dennis Ross’ return to the area today.

Palestinian officials said Arafat would insist on Israeli-Palestinian joint patrols at the Cave of the Patriarchs, known to Muslims as the Ibrahim mosque. It is revered by Muslims and Jews as the burial site of biblical figures including Abraham and Sarah.

Currently, only unarmed Palestinian ushers are present at the site, where Israeli settler Baruch Goldstein opened fire on Muslim worshipers, killing about 30, on Feb. 25, 1994.