IDF forces completed an overnight withdrawal from the Palestinian cities of Bethlehem and Beit Jala. Yesterday evening, Israel's security cabinet decided to proceed with the pullback, despite terror attacks in and around Hadera, in which 5 Israelis were killed. Palestinians report an Israeli troop buildup around Jenin, the city from which the Islamic Jihad terrorists departed on their mission.

The cabinet's decision to withdraw from Bethlehem and Beit Jala followed a day of relative quiet in the area, and after no shooting attacks were directed at the nearby Jerusalem neighborhood of Gilo. The withdrawal from the two towns had originally been planned for Saturday night, but was postponed by Prime Minister Ariel Sharon due to continued incidents of Palestinian shooting.

Israel's "kitchen cabinet" of Sharon, Foreign Affairs Minister Shimon Peres and Defense Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer approved the withdrawal, basing their decision, in part, on recommendations from the IDF. A statement issued by the Prime Minister's Office "authorized the security establishment to continue preparations for the withdrawal of IDF forces from Beit Jala and Bethlehem according to the conditions which have already been determined and as per Palestinian compliance with these prior conditions."

According to conditions set between Israel and the PA, the Palestinians were to replace IDF troops and guarantee the cease-fire in areas evacuated. In addition, the Palestinians were called upon to arrest terrorists operating in the towns.

"Apparently during the day, they (the Palestinians) have taken several steps and during the evening they have started to comply with their obligations," said Sharon's aide Raanan Gissin.

But West Bank Preventative Security chief Jibril Rajoub said, after meeting with Israeli security officials yesterday, that the "Israeli withdrawal from Bethlehem will take place without any conditions imposed on the Palestinians."

Palestinian troops moved into neighborhoods abandoned by the Israelis and asked residents not to shoot guns into the air in celebration, for fear Israeli forces would return at the sound of gunfire, the Washington Post reported.

The cabinet decided to proceed with the Bethlehem and Beit Jala withdrawal, despite Sunday's terror attacks in Hadera and near Kibbutz Metzer. Gissin said the pullout was approved "so as not to link incidents in one place to events in another."

Withdrawal from other West Bank cities would be considered dependent on Palestinian efforts to maintain quiet and prevent terror attacks from those areas, security sources reported. The joint Israeli-Palestinian security committee is to meet today and will reportedly discuss further pullbacks.

Diplomatic sources denied that the Israeli withdrawal had been due to American pressure, Maariv reported. Cabinet secretary Gideon Sa'ar dismissed speculation that the withdrawal was tied to Sharon's upcoming trip to the United States to meet with President George W. Bush. "There is no connection between the trip and the withdrawal from Area A," he said.

Ha'aretz reported today that Sharon may postpone his trip to the U.S. due to the security situation in Israel. British Prime Minister Tony Blair said yesterday that he plans to come to Israel on Thursday to meet with Sharon.

IDF given orders to continue actions against terrorists
Yesterday's cabinet decision "emphasized the importance of the continuation of [IDF] operational activity on the ground." Sharon "issued directives to the security establishment in light of the attacks that occurred" on Sunday, an official statement said.

Ha'aretz reported that the IDF has been given authorization to respond to the shooting attack in Hadera. Palestinian sources said that the IDF was massing troops on the outskirts of Jenin. The two Islamic Jihad terrorists who perpetrated the shooting attack in Hadera, both employed by the Palestinian police using PA-issued weapons, were residents of a refugee camp in Jenin.

A senior security summed up Israel's withdrawal alongside preparations for possible military action by saying, "We are leaving Area A but going in after terrorists," Yediot Aharonot reported.

Internal Security Minister Uzi Landau (Likud) this morning on Army Radio compared the Palestinian Authority to the Taliban regime, and said that Israel would act toward the PA in a manner comparable to how the United States is treating the Taliban.

Palestinians charged that the Israeli government was looking for additional ways to escalate tensions. "They would like to keep their occupation of the parts of the cities they occupied 10 days ago and use it as a first step in order to make their occupation of the entire West Bank [permanent]," charged Palestinian Minister of Culture and Information Yasser Abed Rabbo.

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