20000221

Israel plans to clear 21 settlements in WB, Gaza

JERUSALEM: The Israeli army has proposed pulling down 21 Jewish settlements in the West Bank and Gaza Strip as part of a withdrawal from most of the occupied territories in a future accord with the Palestinians, army radio reported on Sunday.

Army officials have also cast doubt on the future of another 16 settlements among the 150-odd dotted across the occupied territories, it added.

Deputy Defence Minister Ephraim Sneh categorically denied the report, saying: "It's all a complete lie and I'm surprised the army's radio station is broadcasting such information."

However, the radio stood by its report, saying it had confirmation from army officials and that Sneh himself had ordered the withdrawal map to be drawn up.

It said a peace accord that is due to be concluded by September would give Yasser Arafat's Palestinian Authority control of up to 70 percent of the land that Israel captured in the 1967 Arab-Israeli war.

Currently, the Palestinians have full or partial control over less than 40 percent of the territories, where they have pledged to declare an independent state this year.

The radio also broadcast a list of a settlements in question, which it said were home to around 10,000 of the some 170,000 Jews living in the territories. However, the 400 extremist settlers who live in armed enclaves in the West Bank town of Hebron as well as the nearby settlement of Kiryat Arba are not earmarked for clearance, it said.

The future of all settlements is one of the most contentious issues to be resolved in the peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians, who regard all the Jewish housing blocs in the occupied territories as illegal.

But Prime Minister Ehud Barak has said he wants blocs of settlements to remain under Israeli sovereignty under any peace deal. AFP