Little Revealed About West Bank Land Negotiations

Israel was tight-lipped about any progress Thursday in talks with U.S. envoy Dennis B. Ross about terms for handing over more West Bank land, and the Palestinians said bridging gaps in the peace process will be difficult.

Ross held separate talks in Jerusalem with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and top Palestinian officials.

In a statement afterward, Netanyahu’s office made no reference to progress. “Israel still expects full reciprocity from the Palestinians,” the statement said.

Also Thursday, Israel announced its first closure of the West Bank in nearly a year. The army will seal off the West Bank and Gaza Strip today because of a terrorist threat.

Meanwhile, the political crisis in Washington led some to wonder whether the Mideast peace process would suffer as a result of President Clinton’s troubles in the Monica S. Lewinsky case.

“The uncertainty . . . creates a situation of instability,” former Palestinian Cabinet minister Hanan Mikhail-Ashrawi told CNN. “Instead of making clear policy decisions . . . everyone’s second-guessing what will happen to Clinton.”