Israel will remain in two West Bank cities until standoffs over the surrender of wanted Palestinians have been resolved, but it hopes to withdraw troops from other areas by early next week, a Defense Ministry official said Thursday. The two troublespots are Bethlehem's Church of the Nativity and Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat's headquarters in the West Bank town of Ramallah. Bethlehem Mayor Hanna Nasser said a round of negotiations on the church standoff, initially scheduled for Thursday, was canceled by Israel. Nasser appealed to Pope John Paul II to visit Bethlehem and help resolve the crisis.
On Wednesday, troops withdrew from parts of the town of Jenin and were expected to pull out of the West Bank's largest city, Nablus, within a few days. However, troops on Thursday raided a West Bank village near the town of Tulkarem, carrying out arrests and searching for explosives, the military said. |