The much anticipated meeting between Ariel Sharon and Mahmoud ‘Abbas will be held in about two weeks.
Top aides for both men met in Jerusalem on Wednesday to work out details of the summit and to discuss a joint security plan that includes a cease-fire, the transfer of security control of certain cities to the Palestinian Authority, and the question of what to do with Palestinians that are on Israel’s “wanted list.”
Senior Sharon confidant Dov Weisglass told the Palestinian delegation headed by Muhammad Dahlan and ‘Saib ‘Ariqat that Israel is willing to put a halt to all of its military activity if there is a complete cessation of terror attacks.
The Israelis held one caveat: what they called the “ticking time bomb” referring to terrorists known to be involved in imminent attacks. In such cases, the security officials will require approval from the politicians in order to act.
Israel is preparing a list of confidence-building gestures for the Palestinians aimed at shoring up ‘Abbas’s popular support and to reward the new Palestinian leadership for reining in terror. Foremost among the gestures: the expected release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners.