Israel's Sharon prepares for more CIA agents
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Special to World Tribune.com
MIDDLE EAST NEWSLINE
Wednesday, July 25, 2001
TEL AVIV Ñ Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has agreed to the
stationing of CIA agents to revive the U.S.-sponsored ceasefire in the West
Bank and Gaza Strip.
After several days of silence, Sharon has acknowledged that he does not
oppose international observers as long as they come from the United States.
The prime minister told the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee on
Monday that this would mean the stationing of additional CIA personnel in
the area.
Israeli officials said Sharon has agreed to a 10-member CIA contingency.
The prime minister has not confirmed this.
"There are already CIA men going around the area today and I won't
object if more come here," Sharon said. "But this has to be discussed with
the Americans to coordinate the matter."
Officials said the proposal for the CIA to serve as international
observers came from Egypt. The Bush administration is studying the proposal.
"We will be describing over the period ahead some of our own thinking,
which is still evolving," said Daniel Kurtzer, the new U.S. ambassador to
Israel. "We expect that Israel and the Palestinian Authority will also have
their own views and we will see whether we can reach some understanding on
that."
On late Monday, Israeli authorities said they captured or killed a
suicide squad sponsored by the Iranian-backed Islamic Jihad. The squad had
planned to bomb the crowded downtown in Haifa over the weekend.
Israeli sources said two of the three members of the Palestinian squad
were captured. A third was killed.
On Tuesday, Israeli authorities warned of a Palestinian attack on Jewish
settlement leaders. This, in the wake of the killing of three Palestinians
near Hebron in a shooting attributed to Israelis.
At the same time, the Palestinian Authority handed over the body of a
18-year-old Jew to Israeli authorities near Ramallah. Earlier, a Palestinian
youngster was killed in a shootout with Israeli forces in the Gaza Strip.
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