Israel agrees to cease-fire plan

Tenet gave both sides until noon Tuesday to accept his blueprint

JERUSALEM (CNN) -- Israel has accepted in principle a proposal by CIA chief George Tenet for a cease-fire in the Middle East.

CNN's Jerrold Kessel said Israeli officials had conveyed their acceptance of the Tenet blueprint to U.S. officials.

He said the decision was taken by Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon after he had conferred with the defence minister and his top security chiefs.

Dan Meridor, of Israel's Foreign Affairs and Defence Committee, told CNN: "Israel has accepted the blueprint of Mr. Tenet.

"We think again it is in the hands of Yasser Arafat. The ball is in his court. Is he ready to go back from the road of violence."

Palestinian officials are expected to respond to the plan on Tuesday.

Kessel said that one key element is that the Palestinians want a firm commitment from Israel that the blockade around Palestinian towns and territories will be lifted.

Tenet, a mediator representing the U.S. administration of George W. Bush, had asked both sides to respond to a blueprint he has offered on how to implement a cease-fire.

A Palestinian official who was involved in the talks said the Palestinians had already given Tenet their position -- that they will agree to any blueprint that is consistent with the Mitchell report on violence in the Middle East.

But, he added, the blueprint they have seen is not consistent with the Mitchell report.

For example, he said, it contains a series of measures to be taken by both sides over a period of several weeks. The Palestinians want the recommendations to be instituted over a shorter time.

Specifically, the Palestinians have said they want to make sure that a freeze on settlement activity in Palestinian territories is implemented during the early stages of any cease-fire.

They also want to see an end to Israel's closure of Palestinian territories.

The Palestinians will contact Tenet Tuesday morning, though no meetings have been scheduled, the Palestinian source said.

The Israelis, Palestinians and Americans attended a security meeting on Monday night in Jerusalem, the second such trilateral meeting since Tenet arrived in the region last Thursday.

"We went to the security meeting to hear what Israel has to offer and what measures it is willing to take in order to implement the cease-fire," the Palestinian source said.

"And they were not even willing to end the closure of Palestinian territories, which means that even our security forces cannot go from one place to another to arrest or to enforce the cease-fire."

He added that no political compromises have been offered to the Palestinians, only security measures.

On Monday Tenet urged the sides to reach an agreement by noon local time Tuesday or he will return to Washington and end his mediation effort.