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West Bank settlers' deaths spur calls for tough stance
GIL SEDAN
Jewish Telegraphic Agency
JERUSALEM - The slayings of two settlers near the West Bank town of Nablus have dealt a blow to the fragile Israeli-Palestinian negotiations. But political observers in Israel believe that the talks, already proceeding at a sluggish pace, will nonetheless continue.
Israeli hard-line politicians called for an end to negotiations with the Palestinians after the shooting deaths of the settlers, but Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who convened his Security Cabinet on Wednesday to discuss the situation, appeared to be unwilling to take that step.
The shooting victims - identified as Harel Ben-Nun, 18, and Shlomo Liebman, 24 - were shot dead while on a nighttime security patrol of Yizhar, a settlement with some 55 families.
During the Cabinet session, several ministers demanded that Israel toughen its stance against the Palestinians. Transport Minister Shaul Yahalom of the National Religious Party demanded that the negotiations be suspended until the Palestinian Authority transferred suspected terrorists to Israel. Netanyahu rejected demands to announce the creation of new West Bank settlements, but he approved expanding the borders of Yizhar. The move, however, did not represent a change in policy because Netanyahu has previously backed the expansion of existing settlements.
Responding to heavy pressure from the right for a proper response, the premier told Israel Radio that the slayings demonstrated the need for a Palestinian crackdown on militants before Israel agrees to a further West Bank redeployment. He also said Wednesday that the incident strengthened his conviction that Israel should insist on a "correct redeployment" to ensure the safety of West Bank settlers.
In a speech to Palestinian legislators in the West Bank town of Ramallah, Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat made no direct reference to the attack. Palestinian negotiator Nabil Sha'ath said the attack would not affect the political process because the talks were frozen anyway and Israel did not intend to carry out a further West Bank withdrawal.
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