Israeli Cabinet Puts Off Decision on Withdrawal From W. Bank
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Cabinet put off a decision Sunday on the extent of land Israel wants to retain in the West Bank, while a military-prepared proposal claimed about half the territory for security reasons.
With Israel insisting on time to work out its ultimate demands, it seemed unlikely Netanyahu would be able to present Secretary of State Madeleine Albright with a detailed proposal for an interim troop pullback this week.
In recent weeks, the United States has said it wants to see a proposal for the pullback when Netanyahu meets Albright in Paris on Thursday.
But Israel Radio on Sunday quoted U.S. Ambassador Martin Indyk as telling Israeli Foreign Minister David Levy that the United States now understood Israel would need time to formulate its position.
The daylong Cabinet debate Sunday ended with no decision, and the ministers were expected to reconvene today or Tuesday.
A map presented Sunday by Defense Minister Yitzhak Mordecai showed Israel retaining roughly half the territory, Netanyahu spokesman David Bar-Illan said.
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