Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said that he canceled his scheduled trip to the United States and Great Britain "due to the security situation in Israel" and "to personally supervise the planned withdrawal" of IDF forces from
Area A.

"We are in a war here, a special kind of war," Sharon told Newsweek and the Washington Post, stressing the delicacy and complexity of Israel's position, as it seeks to deter terror attacks with little assistance from the Palestinian Authority, which has become increasingly adversarial over the past thirteen months of violence. But diplomatic sources also believe Sharon is reluctant to confront U.S. President George W. Bush over Israeli policies in the territories.

The IDF was scheduled to begin removing forces from the

"I have decided to continue with the redeployment of our forces" - Prime Minister Ariel Sharon

Ramallah area Saturday night, but those plans were shelved due to a Friday evening shooting attack at an IDF roadblock in which St.-Sgt. Raz Mintz was killed and a second soldier moderately wounded.

Sharon and Defense Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer are to meet to coordinate the IDF pullback. Ben-Eliezer told the cabinet this morning that IDF troops would withdraw from Kalkilya later today.

Sharon told U.S. Ambassador to Israel Daniel Kurtzer over the weekend that he would soon coordinate new dates for a visit to the American capital, possibly at the end of the month.

Diplomatic sources in Washington believe that Sharon is trying to postpone a public showdown with the Bush Administration until certain bilateral issues are clarified. Spokesmen for the State Department had been highly critical of the latest Israeli incursion into Palestinian-controlled territories, and called for the IDF's "immediate" withdrawal.

The decision to postpone the visit was allegedly made soon after Sharon's meeting last week with British Prime Minister Tony Blair. Blair reportedly told Sharon that he could expect to hear from President Bush a demand for an Israeli diplomatic initiative and/or an announcement of an immediate withdrawal of all Israeli forces from Area A, Yediot Aharonot said.

U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell is due to present the new American Middle East Plan at a United Nations general assembly at the end of the week. The President has already declared American support for a Palestinian State, but Powell will reportedly present detailed provisions of the plan in his speech, postponed due to the September 11th terrorist attacks. Sharon and Bush were due to discuss the American peace plan in Washington, Yediot Aharonot reported.

Sources in the Prime Minister's Office denied the suggested reasons for the trip's cancellation, Yediot Aharonot reported, insisting instead that "the Prime Minister wants to stay in Israel in any case, with his hands on the wheel."

Sharon to Newsweek: Oslo agreements 'most tragic Israeli mistake'
"I have decided to continue with the redeployment of our forces," Sharon told Newsweek and the Washington Post in an exclusive interview. "What might result is a situation in which terror bursts out. I want to be here to see how it develops…" Sharon said.

When asked if Israel was withdrawing troops from Area A due to American pressure, Sharon responded that Israeli forces were there "because Arafat hasn't taken any steps against groups deeply involved in terror." Sharon stated that if "Arafat stops terror," Israel would negotiate with him.

"[The peace plan] offered him at Camp David has never been offered before by any prime minister and will never be offered again by any prime minister -- including myself," Sharon said.

When asked his opinion of the Oslo Accords, Sharon called them "one of Israel's most tragic mistakes."

Sharon was asked if the cancellation of his trip to America was due to fears that the Bush administration would present a new Middle East peace plan that he might not like. "I don't think they have a plan," Sharon replied. "I've made it clear that I'm willing to make painful compromises for a genuine, durable peace, but not for something that might endanger the lives of the citizens of Israel."

Sharon was asked if his goal was to destroy the Palestinian Authority. "My goal is not to destroy the Palestinian Authority or to act personally against Arafat," Sharon said. "I have reached the age of 73 and seen the horrors of war. I look forward to peace. But peace should provide security for the Jewish people," he concluded.

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