[Its good to hear Israel saying this. Though its sad to see Israel retreating. Retreating won’t bring peace to Israel. Israel’s only hope is military action and standing strong – with fences, advanced weaponry… and for backup a good number of nuclear bombs ready for whoever tries to knock Israel out with WMD.

Egypt is not to be trusted. In 1973… the Egyptians engaged in a very well-planned deception exercise whereby they struck Israel most unexpectedly and caught Israel off guard. The Egyptians are Israel’s deadliest and most determined enemy. Having them sneak so close to Israel, under the guise of helping to control the Palestinians is like letting the fox guard the hen-house. All the Palestinian objections may be a carefully orchestrated fake opposition. The Egyptians are really on the side of the Palestinians. Jan]

JERUSALEM June 23, 2004 ” Israel won’t make a blanket promise to Egypt to halt military strikes in the Gaza Strip once Egyptian advisers are deployed there, but will maintain calm as long as it is not attacked, officials said.

The issue will come up Wednesday, in meetings between Egyptian intelligence chief Omar Suleiman and Israel’s defense and foreign ministers.

Suleiman is also to meet later Wednesday with Yasser Arafat, to hear the Palestinian response to an Egyptian security plan for Gaza after an Israeli pullout, scheduled for next year.

Egypt wants to send about 200 advisers to Gaza before the withdrawal to retrain Palestinian security forces. As part of the plan, Egypt seeks Palestinian security reform and an Israeli guarantee to halt all military strikes, including targeted killings of militants and raids of Gaza towns.

An Israeli official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Israel is unwilling to give such a guarantee, and will inform Suleiman of the decision Wednesday. However, Israel will propose a compromise that should enable the sides to agree on security arrangements for Gaza, the official said.

Israel’s rejection of a key Egyptian demand further complicates negotiations over the Gaza withdrawal.

Earlier in the week, Palestinian militant factions, which would have to agree to a cease-fire as part of the Egyptian plan, announced that they oppose any Egyptian security role in Gaza.

Egypt is key to Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s Gaza pullout plan. Without the backing of the Arab country, there is fear chaos will engulf the already volatile territory and the militant Hamas group will come to power.

On Wednesday, Suleiman is to meet Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom, Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz and other Israeli security officials before heading to Ramallah for talks with Arafat.

In the past, Arafat has resisted international pressure to reform his security forces one of his main power bases but recently indicated he would comply with the Egyptian demand. If Arafat stalls, he risks losing one of his few remaining allies.

However, Arafat ally Sakher Habash, a member of the ruling Fatah movement’s influential Central Committee, said Arafat would not relinquish his powers. There could be increased cooperation between the security branches, but under Arafat’s control, Habash said.

“We don’t want to be cut off from Egypt, and at the same time we don’t want Egyptian interference,” Habash said. “As far as Fatah is concerned, demands that Arafat relinquish some of his powers are unacceptable and the Egyptians are well aware of this.”

Prominent Palestinian political analyst Khalil Shikaki said Egypt’s demand put the increasingly embattled Arafat in a difficult position.

“Arafat will not relinquish his power over the security forces unless he felt that his relationship with the Egyptians was threatened,” Shikaki said.

Egypt and the Palestinians have a historically uneasy relationship, and Egypt’s proposed role in securing Gaza once ruled by Cairo has many Palestinians worried they’ll be replacing one occupation with another.

Palestinian Foreign Minister Nabil Shaath tried to soften the growing criticism of the Egyptian role, and welcomed Cairo’s assistance. “They (the Egyptians) are coming as advisers and as experts, not as rulers,” he said.

Shaath said Arafat has accepted the Egyptian security proposals in general, but gave no evidence a plan had been prepared.

Gaza’s top security chief, Maj. Gen. Abdel Razek Majaidie, said Tuesday that the Palestinian security forces are ready to take control of Gaza after an Israeli withdrawal, and said the various security agencies had been incorporated under his command.

It was unclear whether the changes would meet Egypt’s demands.

In new Gaza violence Tuesday, Israeli troops killed two Palestinians. The army said it had fired at two gunmen who approached its soldiers in the northern Gaza Strip. Palestinians said the two were killed when soldiers fired a tank shell at a group of people during a military operation.

Source: ABCNews
URL: http://abcnews.go.com/wire/World/ap20040623_3…/p>