Quds city, Feb 1, SPA -- Israel is going to slow its planned pullout from five West Bank towns after a day of violence strained an informal cease-fire, and will stop the process altogether if Palestinians don't halt all attacks on Israeli targets, Israeli security officials said Tuesday. Israeli Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz told Palestinian negotiator Mohammed Dahlan that Israel would withdraw from one city at a time rather than from all five at once, apparently beginning with Ramallah, the seat of the Palestinian government, the officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity. The pullout might begin within the next few days, but not necessarily before Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and the new Palestinian leader, Mahmoud Abbas, hold their first meeting, they said. Israeli and Palestinian officials are to meet Thursday to put together the agenda for the Abbas-Sharon session, which is expected to take place around Feb. 8. Palestinians objected to the new Israeli position on the West Bank handover. "We will not tell them to stop if they are withdrawing from Ramallah, but we want them to implement the previous understandings, the withdrawal from five cities," a senior Palestinian official said Tuesday, speaking on condition of anonymity.
