Bush cheers 'a hopeful day' in the Mideast

An Israeli tank guards Arafat's sandbagged compound in Ramallah Sunday.

CRAWFORD, Texas (CNN) -- President Bush said Sunday he was pleased Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat and the Israeli Cabinet agreed to end the standoff at Arafat's West Bank compound -- but he said Arafat must now do more to stop terrorist attacks against Israel.

"This has been a hopeful day for the region," Bush said in a news conference at his ranch here.

The plan calls for U.S. and British monitors to supervise the custody of six Palestinians wanted by the Israelis. At least five of them have been surrounded inside of Arafat's compound for more than a month.

In exchange, Israel would agree to allow Arafat to travel freely in the West Bank and Gaza, and it would withdraw its troops from Ramallah where they have kept Arafat under siege since March 29.

A spokesman for the British Foreign Office said Sunday that Britain would be willing to help implement the proposal. (Full Story)

"Much hard work remains and this is a time for all of us to commit to fight terror and to promote peace in the Middle East," Bush said.

"Chairman Arafat should now seize this opportunity to act decisively on word and on deed against terror directed at Israeli citizens."

Bush emphasized, however, that Arafat had yet to earn his respect.

"He must earn my respect by leading," Bush said. "There are a lot of Palestinians who are suffering, and now is the time for him to step up. This has been a hopeful day for the region and we must continue to step forward toward peace."

U.S./BRITISH PLAN -- Israel will end month-long siege of Arafat's Ramallah compound and allow him to move freely in West Bank and Gaza.  -- U.S. and British monitors to supervise six Palestinians wanted in Israel.     IN-DEPTH  CNN NewsPass Video    •  Palestinian politics  MORE STORIES   •  IDF: Arms workshops destroyed in Rafah  EXTRA INFORMATION   •  Gallery: Palestinian fatalities  RESOURCES   •  Victims of terror   •  TIME.com: Orchestrating a common ground

Bush said he would welcome a visit with Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, who is expected to travel to the United States week after next.

Speaking in Houston, Texas, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal said both leaders hope the agreement is the first step in reaching a "comprehensive and just peace" in the area.

"This breaking of the impasse presents us with the opportunity to move forthwith and expeditiously towards negotiating for a permanent political settlement," al-Faisal said.

Chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erakat said Arafat "declares his acceptance of the American-British plan and he expects the arrival of American and British experts tomorrow to work out and conclude the details of this plan as soon as possible.

"These experts will work with our team as of tomorrow afternoon. President Arafat has assigned a team to follow up on all its aspects," Erakat said, reading a statement.

"And also, President Arafat agreed with the American and British sides to continue exerting every possible effort to end the siege and the catastrophic situation inside the Nativity church," Erakat said.

Israel says four of the Palestinians in the compound are wanted in connection with the October assassination of an Israeli government minister. Last week, a makeshift court in Arafat's compound convicted and sentenced the four in the killing of Tourism Minister Rehavam Ze'evi.

The four received sentences ranging from one year to 18 years in prison. Israel rejected the Palestinian action, demanding the right to try the four in an Israeli court.

Another wanted man in the compound is Fouad Shobaki, a top Palestinian official the Israelis believe was responsible for the attempted smuggling of weapons on the ship Karine-A earlier this year.

It was unclear whether the sixth wanted man -- Ahmad Sa'adat, leader of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine -- was in the compound.

The PFLP is a Palestinian militant group that has committed numerous international terrorist attacks and has conducted attacks against Israeli or moderate Arab targets, according to the U.S. State Department. It claimed responsibility for Ze'evi's assassination, which triggered a fresh wave of violence in the region.

The Israeli Cabinet approved the proposal in a 17-8 vote. Sharon argued passionately to the Cabinet for the plan, explaining that Bush had made a personal plea for its acceptance.

Shortly after the announcement, heavy machine gun fire and an explosion were audible in the direction of Arafat's compound. It was not clear what might have been hit, if anything.

Early Monday morning, Israeli forces launched an operation in the West Bank town of Hebron, miltiary officials told CNN.

Witnesses told The Associated Press that dozens of Israeli tanks and armored vehicles entered the town from two directions, supported by attack helicopters.

U.N. fact-finding team delayed

Meanwhile, the Cabinet said conditions were "not yet right" for a U.N. fact-finding mission to the Jenin refugee camp in the West Bank.

Sharon asked the Cabinet for another delay in the arrival of the U.N. team while Israel and the United Nations settle on the terms and conditions of the investigation. The mission, already on hold for two days, had been scheduled to arrive in the region Sunday from Geneva, Switzerland.

The main sticking point is whether Israelis or the U.N. team should be entitled to summon witnesses, sources close to the meeting said.

The U.N. Security Council met behind closed doors Sunday to discuss the situation.

Afterward, U.N. Security Council President Sergey Lavrov told reporters that the members of the council "are concerned at the continued delay in the arrival of the fact-finding team. They support U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan in his efforts to ensure the immediate deployment of the fact-finding team to Jenin with the full cooperation of Israeli and Palestinian authorities."

He added, "the members of the council expect a positive report by tomorrow." That will give the Israeli cabinet time to discuss the team.

The fact-finding team, which has no timetable for its work, will report to the secretary-general, who will present its findings to the Security Council.

Erakat criticized the delay and called for the team's immediate arrival. "We urge the secretary-general of the United Nations to send the fact-finding team immediately," Erakat said.

"Let Sharon deny them entry into the country if he chooses. Enough is enough. Enough Israeli delaying tactics."

Palestinian officials say hundreds died in what they call a massacre at Jenin during Israel's military offensive in the West Bank.

Israel vehemently denies the description, saying about 50 Palestinians, most of them fighters, were killed. Israel lost 23 soldiers in the fighting. The Palestinian accusations have not been independently corroborated.

Peter Bouckaert of Human Rights Watch has been interviewing residents of the Jenin camp.

"We have documented the cases of 52 people who died during the Israeli incursion into the Jenin refugee camp, 21 of them were civilians," he told CNN. "That's nearly half. Many of those were children, women and elderly people."

More talks on Bethlehem standoff

In Bethlehem, Israeli and Palestinian negotiators Sunday held their longest session yet as they searched for an end to a nearly monthlong standoff at the Church of the Nativity. It was their fifth session since Tuesday.

Saleh Tamari, the chief Palestinian negotiator in Bethlehem, described the talks as frustrating but said the atmosphere at the negotiating table was good. Tamari said the Palestinians wanted more food delivered to the church.

Israeli authorities lifted a curfew around the church Saturday for the first time since the standoff began between Israeli forces and Palestinians hiding in the holy site.

About 200 Palestinians remain in the church, including many civilians, but Israel says 30 Palestinians wanted by Israel are inside as well. Israel contends civilians inside are being held hostage. Palestinians say they fled to the church to escape the fighting outside.

Elsewhere, Israeli troops conducted a manhunt Sunday for the gunmen in Saturday's attack in the Jewish settlement of Adora, near the West Bank town of Hebron. The shooting took place Saturday morning about 9:45 (2:45 a.m. ET) when the gunmen, dressed in Israeli army uniforms, entered the settlement through a fence, the Israel Defense Forces said.

The gunmen killed a girl and wounded her two brothers in one house before they entered a second house where they killed a woman and wounded her husband, military officials said. Altogether, four Israelis died. (Full story)