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Recent Appearances... Rantburg

Israel-Palestine-Jordan
Three killed in Jenin clashes
2006-01-13
A Palestinian man has blown himself up and Israeli forces have killed two others during clashes in the town of Jenin in the West Bank, security sources and Palestinian witnesses say. Aljazeera's correspondent in Jenin reported that the bomber blew himself up near a group of Israeli soldiers who were carrying out an operation against Palestinian resistance fighters. Israeli forces had surrounded a building in which activists from the al-Quds Brigades, the armed wing of Islamic Jihad Movement, were taking shelter. More than 30 military vehicles and a bulldozer were involved in the Israeli operation. An Israeli source said the bomber detonated an explosives belt after refusing to surrender.
It doesn't sound like he actually managed to take any Zionists with him, or al-Jizz would be trumpeting that...
Another Palestinian fighter in the house was shot and killed by the Israeli soldiers, according to witnesses. Another Palestinian was reported killed during a separate clash with Israeli forces in Jenin. In the city of Ram Allah, violence flared up when armed men opened fire on the home of Nasser Yousef, the Palestinian Interior Minister. Yousef, who was home at the time, was unhurt, but three gunmen were wounded, one critically. Yousef's bodyguards returned fire and wounded three of the gunmen, who were taken to hospital. One was in critical condition with a neck wound, medics said.
"You shot me! You shot me in the neck!"
"He's right, Ari. You screwed up. Next time, aim 4 inches higher."
A fourth gunman escaped in a car, prompting Palestinian security forces to set up roadblocks in the West Bank city. It was not immediately clear which of the many armed Palestinian factions the gunmen belonged to or what prompted the attack. In a seperate incident, gunmen also shot at the offices of Ahmed Qureia, the Palestinian prime minister. There were no reported injuries.
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Israel-Palestine-Jordan
Abbas: Palestinian Elections on Schedule
2006-01-09
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) - Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas said Monday that he would hold parliamentary elections on Jan. 25 as scheduled after he received U.S. assurances that Arab residents of east Jerusalem will be allowed to vote in the city.

Abbas' announcement alleviated some fears that he was planning to call off the vote under pressure from members of his Fatah party concerned that the popular Hamas militant group would embarrass Fatah at the polls.

Abbas said Monday that the ongoing chaos in Gaza - much of it caused by Fatah-affliated militants - is aimed at scuttling the elections, and he told his security forces to protect that "democratic day even with force." However, Abbas' interior minister, Nasser Yousef, warned that he will not be able to secure polling stations from gunmen trying to disrupt the election.
But what are the chances of that happening?
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Israel-Palestine-Jordan
Palestinians killed in Jordan Suicide attack were anti-Abu Mazen
2005-11-17
efl - long article has a lot of inside baseball in it ---

.... the death of the two [Bashir Nafeh, commander of the Palestinian special forces and Abed Allun liaison between 3 sets of security forces], who in recent years were considered close allies, caused a sigh of relief among most of the heads of the West Bank security services.

Nafeh and the apparatus that he headed - which American and British organizations generously supported, mainly with equipment - caused a serious headache both for Nasser Yousef, the Palestinian Authority interior minister... and for PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen). It is a well-known fact in the West Bank that the vast majority of the incidents that create the chaotic security situation in the territories originate with the security forces themselves, and with the power struggles among their leaders. Nafeh played a significant role in this. His men, about 1,000 policemen in the West Bank, were involved this year in dozens of serious gunbattles with PSS policemen as well as members of other security forces. Policemen from both sides were killed and injured.

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Israel-Palestine-Jordan
Israel strikes northern Gaza
2005-10-30
Israeli aircraft fired missiles at open areas in northern Gaza early Saturday and ground troops set up a second artillery battery near the coastal strip — part of an intensifying campaign against Palestinian rocket fire on Israeli border areas. Israeli air strikes have killed eight Palestinians in Gaza this week, including a fighter whose car was struck Friday evening, while he was on a mission to fire rockets. Palestinian Interior Minister Nasser Yousef told his security chiefs that "firm and serious action" would be taken against facilities used to manufacture or store weapons, his office said in a statement released Saturday. But there was no talk of disarming factions, as Israel has demanded, and the statement said Palestinian security forces "would not enter any house looking for weapons."

In Israel, Vice Premier Shimon Peres warned it would be a serious mistake to sideline Mahmoud Abbas, signalling growing disagreement within the Israeli government over how to deal with the Palestinian leader. Peres spoke after Prime Minister Ariel Sharon announced he would shun Abbas until he cracks down on factions, and Defence Minister Shaul Mofaz said Abbas was too weak and isolated to negotiate a peace deal. The Sharon government's criticism of Abbas is unprecedented, but it remains unclear whether it signals a shift in policy. The international community has urged Israel to work with Abbas, a moderate who opposes violence but also refuses to disarm groups by force, citing fear of civil war. Peres said Israel could not afford to marginalise Abbas. "When you say there is no partner, then only one partner is left, the terrorists. This is a mistake of the first order," Peres told Israel Radio.
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Israel-Palestine-Jordan
Security forces arrest 117 Hebron-area Hamas terrorists activists
2005-10-10
The Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) revealed on Monday that 117 Hamas activists belonging to three separate terror infrastructures in the Hebron area were arrested by security forces. The activists were involved in many attacks, including the abduction and murder of Sasson Nuriel, the suicide bomb attack in the Beersheba bus station in August, and a planned bombing of an air force helicopter at a training base in the Judean desert.

A senior Shin Bet official noted that the infrastructures continued to operate intensively despite the tahdiya called in February of this year. They were responsible for the deaths of six Israelis and the wounding of scores. By arresting the operatives, security forces thwarted plans to abduct Israeli hikers in the Judean desert and to abduct and murder soldiers, using them as trading cards to secure the release of Palestinian prisoners.

The official noted that for the first time, Hamas in Gaza recruited and trained a female bomb mechanic. She had already been sent to the West Bank to begin training activists before she was arrested. The mechanic, 22-year-old Samir Sabih of Jabalya, received permission to travel from Gaza to Tulkarm by claiming she was going to meet a future fiance. It was there that she was arrested by Israeli security forces.

A key commander in one of the arrested infrastructures, Yasser Saleh, was recruited by Gazan Hamas activists at the beginning of 2003, when he was studying in Egypt. Saleh is the son of the Palestinian police commander in Ramallah, an advisor to PA Interior Minister Nasser Yousef.
Rest at link.
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Israel-Palestine-Jordan
Sharp increase in Paleo-on-Paleo violence
2005-10-07
Make Mine with extra butter.
The number of Palestinians slain in vigilante killings and other internal violence has nearly quadrupled in four years, from 43 in 2002 to 151 so far in 2005, according to statistics presented Thursday, and one top security official said more Palestinians were killed in internal violence this year than by Israeli troops.
Does this mean we have to start sending pizzas to the Paleos?
Nah, they turn themselves into street pizzas without our help.
The descent into lawlessness is hurting Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas politically, at a time when he is trying to beat back a tough challenge by his Islamic militant rivals. This week, a Palestinian parliament frustrated with armed gangs and corrupt police officers ordered Abbas to disband his Cabinet and make crime-fighting his top priority. "The security situation is deteriorating in a very dangerous way, with no one putting a stop to it," said Hassan Khreisheh, the deputy parliament speaker.

In the most recent incident, a Gaza taxi driver was killed Sunday by gunmen affiliated with Abbas' ruling Fatah movement. At the time, a group of drivers was blocking a junction in southern Gaza to protest rising fuel prices. The gunmen demanded the junction be cleared, then opened fire, killing 30-year-old Yasser Barakeh. Abbas promised Barakeh's family he would track down the killers, but no arrests have been made.

Late Thursday, armed men kidnapped a Palestinian professor known as a Hamas political leader from his West Bank home, his wife said. Palestinians said it was part of an internal conflict. The Israeli military said it had no part in the abduction of the professor, Riad al-Raz, 47, head of the engineering department at A-Najah University in Nablus.
"No, no! Certainly not!"
The growing chaos is, in part, an outgrowth of nearly five years of Israeli-Palestinian fighting. The conflict strengthened armed gangs and weakened the Palestinian security forces, who were initially targeted by Israeli troops. With the breakdown of law, many Palestinians have returned to tribal justice to settle disputes. Some security commanders have become war lords, using the men under their command for personal gain or illegal enterprises, such as weapons deals or extortion. In many cases, policemen are moonlighting as gunmen in militias. The overlap is particularly pronounced in the Al Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades, which has ties to Fatah.

Abbas, meanwhile, has shied away from confronting the armed groups for fear of civil war. However, his attempt to get armed men off the streets with promises of jobs and political participation has had only limited success. Abbas' security chief, Interior Minister Nasser Yousef, argues he can't fight crime without a political decision to confront the armed groups. "When Hamas keeps its military wing, then Fatah will say, we have the right to do the same," said Yousef's spokesman, Tawfiq Abu Khoussa, referring to unauthorized armed gangs linked to the ruling party. "That's what makes it so difficult for the interior minister to fight chaos and implement the law."
Not having a spine also makes it difficult.
Abu Khoussa said that in 2005, more Palestinians were killed by fellow Palestinians than in fighting with Israel. He did not provide figures, but his claim was backed up by the Independent Commission for Human Rights, an independent Palestinian group.
Someone you can trust; they're "independent."
The growing chaos is quickly turning into Abbas' biggest political headache - even more than the threat from Hamas which is poised to do well in January parliament elections. This week, angry legislators gave Abbas two weeks to present a new Cabinet and focus on battling crime, even ahead of negotiations with Israel. "KAOS Chaos is the most dangerous threat Mahmoud Abbas and the Palestinian Authority are facing now," ...
And Maxwell Smart just died.
... said Palestinian analyst Hani al-Masri. "If the Palestinian Authority doesn't take hard steps to protect us from chaos, it will collapse."

Majed Arouri, a researcher for the group, said 151 Palestinians have been slain in internal violence or as a result of reckless behavior by militants in 2005 so far. For example, the Palestinian-on-Palestinian death toll rose sharply in September when 22 Palestinians were killed when rockets exploded inadvertently at a Hamas military parade. By comparison, 140 Palestinians were killed by Israel Defense Forces troops during the same period, Arouri said.

According to an Associated Press count, the number of Palestinians killed by Israeli fire stands at 127 in 2005 so far, while the Palestinian Health Ministry said the total number was closer to 200. AP does not keep a count of Palestinians killed in internal violence. "We're Journalism majors; we can't count that high."
"But you should believe us anyway."
Statistics about deaths during the five years of Palestinian-Israeli violence are imprecise because of several factors, including differing methods of categorization and conflicting claims of responsibility and blame for many of the deaths. Arouri said there has been a sharp increase in vigilante killings and other slayings of Palestinians by Palestinians in recent years. In 2002, there were 43 such killings, compared to 56 in 2003 and 93 in 2004, he said.
I like that trend. Better that Paleos die than, well, just about anyone else.
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Israel-Palestine
Gunmen beat Palestinian official
2005-07-12
A senior Palestinian official has been seriously injured in an assault by a gang of masked gunmen. Ibrahim Salama was driving in the West Bank city of Ramallah when gunmen fired at his car to force him to stop, an interior ministry statement said. Mr Salama was severely beaten "with a sharp object" and taken to hospital.
It is the latest in a series of incidents believed to be part of a power struggle within the mainstream Fatah movement. Dozens of members of al-Aqsa Martyr's Brigade, an armed offshoot of Fatah, stormed a government building in Gaza 10 days ago demanding Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas make good on a promise to recruit them into the security forces.
Mr Abbas described the assault on Mr Salama as "outrageous". "The security services will take immediate and serious action and will chase after those involved. We will deal with this firmly," Mr Abbas said. The interior ministry said the motive for the attack was not known but was being investigated. Mr Salama is a chief aide to Palestinian Authority (PA) Interior Minister General Nasser Yousef.
Correspondents say that the attack is symptomatic of not only the power struggle in Fatah, but also the deteriorating security situation in the West Bank and Gaza where PA forces struggle to maintain control.

Earlier on Tuesday, two Israeli soldiers were lightly wounded when a roadside bomb exploded alongside their jeep in the Gaza Strip. The bomb went as the soldiers patrolled the fence surrounding the main southern Jewish settlement bloc of Gush Katif, a military spokesman said.
There has been an increase in recent days of attacks by Palestinian militants on Israeli soldiers and settlers.
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Israel-Palestine
Abbas Moves to Challenge Militant Groups
2005-04-04
In which we note progress of a sort. The Paleo security problems are evaluated without once blaming Israel.
After weeks of hesitation, Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas has finally made moves to challenge the powerful militant groups sowing chaos across the West Bank.
See: Whirlwind, reaping the.
In the end, he was spurred into action by domestic concerns, including an audacious rampage by gunmen through Ramallah and the very real fear of impending electoral defeat, rather than by persistent U.S. and Israeli demands that he crack down on armed groups.
See: Doctrine, Bush.
"The Palestinian Authority has been crippled and it's become very evident to the people," Palestinian political analyst Hani Masri says. "It reached a point where people were wondering what value is there in having a leader." On Saturday, Abbas forced out West Bank security chief Ismail Jaber — a corruption-tainted patron of some of the militants — and said he would forcibly retire hundreds of senior officers. This was seen as a strong signal that he is serious about security reform and no longer willing to tolerate militants' defiance. Abbas has picked Nablus security commander Maj. Gen. Nadal Asoli as Jaber's replacement, security officials said Sunday on condition of anonymity because a formal announcement had not been made. Asoli is the commander of security forces in Nablus. He returned from exile in Tunis with Yasser Arafat in the mid-90s. Unlike Jaber, Asoli's name has not been mentioned in corruption allegations.
"We'll always have Tunis, Yasser!"
Lacking an independent power base, Abbas had resisted taking on the militants since he was elected in January to head the Palestinian Authority after Arafat's death. He hoped instead to co-opt them into the Palestinian security forces. However, the militants, who have hoarded power during four years of fighting with Israel and have established de facto gang rule in many West Bank towns, resisted and openly challenged Abbas' authority. Last month, militant leader Zakariye Zubeydi brazenly challenged Palestinian security chief Nasser Yousef for entering the West Bank town of Jenin without first getting the secret password his permission. Yousef exploded in anger when Zubeydi fired a rifle outside police headquarters while he held meetings inside. He demanded the militant's arrest, then quickly backed down and let him go. Other militants broke into the main jail in Gaza in February and killed three prisoners there as part of a clan feud. Palestinians are becoming fed up with the lawlessness in their streets, and Abbas has little choice but to tackle the problem quickly if he wants his Fatah Party to have any hope of winning July parliamentary elections. Convinced Fatah is corrupt and ineffective, many Palestinians are turning to the militant Hamas group.
Hamas gunnies or Fatah gunnies, now there's a conundrum for the average Paleo voter...
To make matters worse for Abbas, many of those running rampant and challenging his power are actually members of Fatah or the Al Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades, a militant group affiliated with Fatah. Some of the militants also are members of the very security forces expected to stop them. "This chaos is harming the Palestinian Authority and Fatah totally, and if they don't reform now, you can say farewell to Fatah," Masri said. "Hamas is powerful, and Fatah is fighting a battle with itself and is at the same time unable to bring law and order to the streets."
It's a feature, not a bug.
Nabil Amr, a legislator close to Abbas, said restoring order has become "a national demand."
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Israel-Palestine
Jericho handover to PA control to take place Wednesday
2005-03-15
Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz and Palestinian Interior Minister Nasser Yousef met Monday night in Herzliya, and overcame the major stumbling blocks in the talks on Israel's handover of five West Bank cities to the Palestinian Authority's security responsibility. Unless there is a last minute delay, Jericho will be handed over to the PA as early as Wednesday.

Mofaz and Yousef reached compromise on the major moot points: The deployment of Israel Defense Forces roadblocks around Jericho, and the inclusion of a nearby town in the handover. Israel had refused the demand previously citing the proximity of the town to a highway used by Israeli traffic. The two ministers also reached agreement over the fate of wanted militants currently residing in Jericho. The PA vowed to disarm the 17 militants, as well as follow and restrict their movements to the city boundaries. Israel made a commitment not to try and arrest or harm the wanted militants, so long as they do not resume terrorist activities.
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Israel-Palestine
Palestinians Seize Weapons in New Crackdown
2005-03-05
Palestinian police seized bombs and other weapons in the West Bank for the first time in more than four years on Saturday, a senior Palestinian security official said. The official Told Reuters that police raiding the West Bank town of Dura, south of Hebron, also arrested 16 suspects in the start of a new crackdown by the Palestinian Authority against lawlessness in its territories. While the action seemed a move toward ieeting the demands of Israel and a U.S.-backed "road map" peace plan for Palestinians to disarm gunmen, it was not clear whether any weapons seized had belonged to militants involved in attacking Israel.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has vowed to end armed chaos in the Palestinian territories but has previously sought to do so through dialogue with gunmen rather than use force. Jihad Abu Omar, a senior Palestinian security official in Dura, said that Palestinians targeted in Dura were "fugitives of the law" suspected of torching three Palestinian Authority vehicles, including a bulldozer, and stealing cars.

PALESTINIANS CAMPAIGN "TO PUT AN END TO THE CHAOS"
"More than 120 Palestinian security officers from all the security forces began a campaign to put an end to the chaos ... criminals and those who have vandalized public institutions and public property," Abu Omar said. He said police had "seized ammunition and bombs and some weapons" during the raid ordered by Abbas and his reform-minded Interior Minister Nasser Yousef. Abu Omar said it was "the first time" Palestinian police had confiscated weapons or ammunition since Sept. 2000 when Palestinians launched their uprising. "These are gangs that challenge the authority," he said. "The campaign is not going to end, it is going to move from one town to the other."

Saturday's raid followed an escalation in recent days in violence by armed Palestinians against deputies of Abbas, a moderate elected in January to succeed Yasser Arafat, whose new government was approved by Parliament last month. Palestinian militants wounded a Palestinian policeman on Friday, shooting at a police station in the West Bank city of Nablus after police refused them permission to see a prisoner. Another policeman was injured in a separate incident on Tuesday in the West Bank town of Jenin when a gunman opened fire near Interior Minister Yousef's motorcade complaining he had not coordinated his visit with the militants.
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Israel-Palestine
Who's in and Who's out in Palestinian Cabinet
2005-02-25
The Palestinian Parliament approved a new Cabinet yesterday after Prime Minister Ahmed Qorei agreed to demands to include more reformers and fewer Yasser Arafat loyalists. Following is biographical information on who's in and who's out in the new government.
WHO'S IN:

Ahmed Qorei, Prime Minister
Qurie, also known as Abu Ala, became prime minister in 2003 when his predecessor and now-President Mahmoud Abbas resigned after losing a power struggle with Yasser Arafat. Appointed by Arafat, Qorei has faced criticism from lawmakers for too few concrete steps toward reforms.

Nabil Shaath, Deputy Prime Minister
A stalwart of the dominant Fatah movement and an Arafat loyalist, Shaath was involved in Israeli-Palestinian peace talks beginning in the early 1990s. He had served until now as foreign minister.

Nasser Al-Kidwa, Foreign Minister
A nephew of Arafat, Kidwa served as the Palestinian envoy to the United Nations. He was close to Arafat's bedside when the veteran Palestinian leader died in a Paris hospital in November.

Mohammed Dahlan, Civil Affairs Minister
A former security chief and Abbas ally, Dahlan has become important as a negotiator with Israel. A US favorite, he has a wide power base in Gaza but less clout in the West Bank. He led the Palestinian Authority's only significant crackdown on militants after a series of suicide bombings in 1996 and is expected to help in an overhaul of security forces.

Nasser Yousef, Interior Minister
Maj. Gen. Yousef is a former head of security forces. The most senior military man to leave exile after interim peace accords, Yousef later became critical of Arafat and was marginalized. Regarded as a tough commander, he played a big role in the 1996 crackdown on militants and is expected to lead security reforms demanded by the international community.
On one meeting, Yasser spit in Nasser's face. In another, he called him a coward and a traitor and flung the microphone at him, and Nasser threw the Pen of Death at his boss.

Salam Fayyad, Finance Minister
Fayyad is a former International Monetary Fund official who has won international praise for efforts to make Palestinian finances more transparent and curb corruption. He joined the Cabinet in 2003 following US pressure for financial reforms.

WHO'S OUT:

Saeb Erekat
Erekat, a close Arafat ally who was minister of negotiations affairs, has served as a prominent spokesman for the Palestinians on the world stage.
By this point, he has no lips.

Intisar Al-Wazir
A member of the Fatah Central Committee and previously minister of social welfare, Wazir was a strong Arafat loyalist. She is the widow of Khalil Al-Wazir, also known as Abu Jihad, Arafat's military deputy who was assassinated in Tunis in a 1988 attack by Israeli commandos.

Hakam Balaawi
Balaawi, who was interior minister, is a long-time Arafat loyalist who has represented the PLO in Libya and Tunis. A West Bank native, he returned from exile in 1994 after Palestinians won limited self-rule, and has voiced criticism of militants.
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Israel-Palestine
Sharon orders crackdown on Jewish extremists
2005-02-14
Responding to death threats against government ministers, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon (news - web sites) ordered law enforcement agencies Sunday to crack down on Jewish extremists opposed to the planned withdrawal from the Gaza Strip (news - web sites).

Cabinet ministers said the charged climate is reminiscent of the period before the 1995 assassination of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin (news - web sites) who was in peace negotiations with the Palestinians. One minister warned Sharon himself could become a target. Extremists have put up posters across the country that say Rabin and the prime minister's deceased wife, Lily, are "waiting for Sharon."

Despite the concerns, Sharon's Cabinet approved a list of 500 Palestinian prisoners to be released in coming days, and several hundred Palestinian workers were permitted to return to jobs in Israel in line with agreements reached at a Mideast summit last week.

Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas, meanwhile, was to present a new Cabinet to his Fatah (news - web sites) movement for approval Tuesday. Abbas was expected to appoint new interior, foreign and information ministers but keep on many current government members, officials said.

Israeli officials have voiced concerns about Jewish extremist opposition to the pullout plan for months. But with this summer's planned withdrawal quickly approaching and a recent warming of ties with the Palestinians, the level of alarm has been raised.

Sharon instructed law enforcement agencies to report back to the Cabinet as soon as possible with steps that can be taken to "rein in the violent rampage" of extremists opposing his plan, a statement said.

Several Cabinet ministers said they have received threatening letters in recent days, and last week Finance Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (news - web sites) had his tires slashed and slurs shouted at him while attending a wedding.

Netanyahu, a former prime minister, was targeted just days after Education Minister Limor Livnat was whisked away from an event where she was screamed at by hard-line Jews.

Meir Sheetrit, one of the ministers who received a threatening letter, said every step should be taken to punish those behind the threats.

"It sets off a warning light, and we should take tangible steps before there is another political murder," he said.

Cabinet minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer presented the ministers a copy of a letter he received. The letter described the Iraqi-born Ben-Eliezer as "the epitome of evil, a miserable Iraqi, a Nazi with Arab blood. You love Arabs more than Jews."

Ben-Eliezer then said to the ministers: "I am telling you: They will try to kill the prime minister," according to the Haaretz daily.

Sharon was outraged.

"I am shocked by this savagery. We need to take immediate practical steps," Sharon was quoted as saying before ordering police, legal authorities and security commanders to take action.

At Sunday's meeting, the Cabinet approved the release of 500 Palestinian prisoners in the near future, one of a series of agreements reached at last week's Mideast summit in Egypt.

Israel will also allow several dozen Palestinian militants who were expelled from the West Bank to return to their homes and gradually hand five West Bank towns to Palestinian control.

Senior commanders from both sides met late Sunday to coordinate the handover of Jericho, the first town to be turned over. Army Radio reported that the handover would take place in about 48 hours.

In line with the summit agreements, Israel will release another 400 Palestinian prisoners within three months.

"Prisoners, prisoners are our priority, and we told everyone about it," from the American secretary of state, Condoleezza Rice (news - web sites), to President Hosni Mubarak (news - web sites) of Egypt, Abbas told The New York Times. "The situation will be stabilized and will cool down in Gaza and the West Bank" to the degree that Sharon "helps us to release the prisoners."

The Palestinian prisoners to be freed constitute only a small fraction of the estimated 8,000 in Israeli jails. Palestinians are demanding that all be freed, while Israeli officials insist that with few exceptions, prisoners with "blood on their hands" cannot be considered.

Several hundred Palestinian workers from Gaza returned Sunday to jobs in Israel under the summit agreements. Before the outbreak of fighting more than four years ago, more than 100,000 Palestinians worked in Israel.

Also, the Israeli army said the bodies of 15 Palestinians killed last year during attacks on Israeli settlements and army bases in the Gaza Strip would be handed over Monday to Palestinian authorities in Gaza for burial.

Palestinian officials said on condition of anonymity that the new Cabinet would include Brig. Gen. Nasser Yousef, a military official who frequently fought with Yasser Arafat (news - web sites); Gaza strongman Mohammed Dahlan; and possibly Nasser al-Kidwa, the current Palestinian envoy to the United Nations (news - web sites) and Arafat's nephew, as the new foreign minister.

The current foreign minister, Nabil Shaath, would be shifted to another Cabinet position, the officials said.
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