MIDDLE EAST: NETANYAHU & CABINET MINISTERS TOUR WEST BANK

Описание: (23 Dec 1997) English/Nat

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his Cabinet ministers toured the West Bank by helicopter on Tuesday ahead of a decision on how much land to hand to the Palestinians in an upcoming troop pullback.

Netanyahu said the tour served as a reminder that Israel must retain parts of the West Bank it captured in the 1967 Middle East war.

Foreign Minister David Levy did not participate in Tuesday's helicopter trip - reflecting his dissatisfaction with Netanyahu's hardline policies on the peace process.

Three helicopters carrying Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his cabinet ministers toured the West Bank on Tuesday.

The tour comes ahead of an Israeli decision on how much land to hand to the Palestinians in an upcoming troop pullback.

After the trip, the choppers landed in the Jewish settlement of Alfei Menashe, which overlooks Israel's coastal plain.

There, Netanyahu told reporters the tour highlighted Israel's need for a buffer against a threat from the country's eastern side.

SOUNDBITE: (English)
"We can see how close, how narrow Israel used to be and how vulnerable it would be if we ever returned to such narrow boundaries. We of course don't intend to do that. The entire purpose of this visit is to define more carefully in our minds the necessary foundations of security and national interests that will guide us as we consider the redeployment."
SUPER CAPTION: Benjamin Netanyahu, Prime Minister, Israel

Earlier this month, the Cabinet began debating rival proposals on where the final borders between Israel and the Palestinian entity should run.

Netanyahu has said he wanted agreement on that issue before deciding how much land to hand over in three limited pullbacks Israel has committed to carrying out by mid-1998.

One proposal - by Defence Minister Yitzhak Mordechai - would see Israel keep half the land, but about one-third of the settlements would be excluded from areas under Israeli control.

Mordechai said Tuesday's tour was a necessary part of the process deciding which plan would best fit Israel's needs.

SOUNDBITE: (English)
"Before the government is going to decide our second redeployment, it is necessary that the government will come to the area, will observe the area, to understand the subject, to understand the problem before a decision will be made."
SUPER CAPTION: Yitzhak Mordechai, Defence Minister, Israel

Under another plan - put forth by Infrastructures Minister Ariel Sharon - Israel would reportedly annex two-thirds of the West Bank and retain all areas in which the 144 Jewish settlements are located.

Sharon - who has said there is little difference between Mordechai's and his proposal - echoed the defence minister's comments.

SOUNDBITE: (English)
"No one should stand here with a stopwatch. No reason for that. We are living here in this area. We have to live here for generations. Therefore I think every occasion that we have in order to learn, to see the area, to understand it properly, will only contribute to peace."
SUPER CAPTION: Ariel Sharon, Infrastructures Minister, Israel

U-S Secretary of State Madeleine Albright reportedly expects to hear by mid-January Israel's offer on the scope of a limited Israeli troop pullback - after having granted Netanyahu a reprieve of three weeks.

U-S peace envoy Dennis Ross is to arrive in the region on January 5th to lay the groundwork for separate meetings between U-S President Bill Clinton and the Israeli and Palestinian leaders.



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