Israel Postpones Troop Withdrawals From Palestinian Areas
Only a week after Israel announced an agreement with the Palestinians to start pulling back from Palestinian areas, the defense minister said today that there would be no further withdrawals at least until the end of the Jewish holidays in September.

Palestinian officials responded angrily. A senior aide to Yasir Arafat, the Palestinian leader, called it a "dangerous action."

"The Israeli side has no intention to withdraw from the West Bank and Gaza," said the aide, Nabil Aburdeineh. "Therefore there won't be any progress."

A week ago, Defense Minister Benjamin Ben-Eliezer announced an agreement with Palestinian security chiefs to start pulling Israeli troops back, starting with Bethlehem and the Gaza Strip, allowing the Palestinians to resume policing the areas. The Palestinian police did return to Bethlehem, which has remained quiet.

But the Israeli Army continued raids in Gaza, and today, after a week of criticism from right-wing politicians and military officers, Mr. Ben-Eliezer announced that he was delaying any withdrawal from Hebron, the next West Bank city scheduled for a withdrawal, for at least six weeks.

Mr. Ben-Eliezer said he barred any further withdrawals because the potential for violence had not abated. "It is pointless to move forward unless there is quiet and the warnings have stopped," he said on television. "In Hebron there are still many warnings. We want to go about this process step by step."

Hebron has been relatively quiet in recent weeks, although there has been some violence, including attacks for which a militant group associated with Mr. Arafat's Fatah movement, Al Aksa Martyrs Brigades, has claimed responsibility. In addition, the army has continued its raids into Palestinian towns and villages to seize suspected militants, prompting some shootouts in which several Palestinians have been wounded.

Israeli reports suggested that Mr. Ben-Eliezer's decision was prompted largely by opposition in the military, and by lukewarm support from Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/08/26/international/middleeast/26MIDE.html