Barak, Arafat Fail to Resolve West Bank Pullout Dispute

With a planned Israeli pullout from more West Bank land one day away, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak and Palestinian Authority President Yasser Arafat held an unscheduled meeting Sunday but failed to end a dispute over what areas should be included in the transfer, officials from both sides said.

The Palestinians demanded an immediate halt to construction of Israeli settlements in the West Bank, said a Palestinian official, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The Palestinians say the areas Israel is to hand over are too thinly inhabited, and they demanded areas with larger Palestinian populations.

The dispute came as the American envoy to the peace talks, Dennis B. Ross, headed to the region to meet with negotiators from both sides. Israeli officials insisted that the transfer did not require Palestinian agreement.

The withdrawal will be the second of three pullouts mandated by the Sharm el Sheik, Egypt, agreement signed in September. By January, the Palestinians will have full or partial control of 39% of the West Bank.

Israel’s chief negotiator, Oded Eran, said the Palestinian request would not be considered for this withdrawal. “We can look at their request for the next [third] phase of redeployment,” he said.

Israeli and Palestinian negotiators did agree Sunday on an agenda for the final status talks, the last phase of the peace process, which began last week. They will attempt to reach agreement on Jerusalem, water sources, Palestinian refugees, Jewish settlements, and the final borders between Israel and the Palestinian entity, said Palestinian negotiator Yasser Abed-Rabbo.