Palestinians on Friday firmly rejected Israel's first public demand to change part of the previously agreed deal on withdrawing from most of the West Bank city of Hebron. Our position is firm. Mordechai confirmed in an interview with the Jerusalem Post Israel wanted changes, although Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had denied Palestinian charges he wants to renegotiate the Hebron agreement. Israel's previous government, ousted by the right-wing Netanyahu in May elections, signed an agreement in September 1995 that said up to 400 Palestinian policemen armed with 200 pistols and 100 rifles would deploy in parts of Hebron which will be handed over to the PLO by Israel. Under the original agreement, Israel was to have withdrawn nearly seven months ago from most of the West Bank city where 400 Jewish settlers live in heavily-armed compounds amidst 100,000 Arabs.
Israeli soldiers are to remain in some areas to guard the hardline settlers.
The redeployment was delayed after Moslem suicide bombers killed 59 people in Israel early this year and then was frozen when the new Israel government took office in June and said it needed better security for the settlers. U.S. Special Mideast Coordinator Dennis Ross, mediating the talks, said on Thursday Israel and the PLO had agreed to move negotiations to the Red Sea resorts of Eilat, in Israel, and nearby Taba, in Egypt. Ross said the change in venue would increase the pace of negotiations. Palestinans sources said formal talks, recessed from Thursday, would resume on Monday in Taba. However, lower-level contacts continued on Friday.