Palestinians back Israeli plan for Gaza pullout

Meeting scheduled on how it would work

Israeli Defense Minister Benjamin Ben-Eliezer proposed the "Gaza first" plan in which Israel forces would begin withdrawing in exhange for the Palestinian Authority moving in to maintain order.

RAMALLAH, West Bank (CNN) -- The Palestinian Cabinet on Wednesday preliminarily endorsed an offer from Israel to withdraw its forces from parts of Gaza and Bethlehem as a prelude to the eventual Israeli withdrawal from West Bank cities.

If the so-called "Gaza first" plan goes into effect, it would mark the first time in months that Israel and the Palestinian Authority have resumed security cooperation.

Several Palestinian Cabinet members expressed skepticism over whether Israel would go forward with the plan after Israeli tanks rolled into northern Gaza overnight Tuesday to make searches and arrest Palestinians suspected of terrorist activities. The forces later withdrew.

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However, Palestinian officials said they planned to proceed with meetings set for Wednesday night in Jerusalem to discuss how the plan would work.

Israeli Defense Minister Benjamin Ben-Eliezer made the offer in a meeting this week with Palestinian Authority Interior Minister Abdel Razek Yehiyeh.

Ben-Eliezer pitched the proposal as a pilot project that would begin in Gaza, where the Palestinian Authority security apparatus remains largely intact. The plan envisions an Israeli pullout in exchange for the Palestinian Authority moving in to maintain order and prevent terror attacks.

Israeli troops have moved in and out of positions in Gaza in response to Palestinian terror attacks since the beginning of the current intifada in September 2000.

Pullbacks from Rafah, roadways

Palestinian sources said that Israeli troops would pull back from positions at Rafah in southern Gaza under the proposal. The Israelis also have taken up positions on roads that essentially divide Gaza into three areas. The effect has been to block Palestinian security forces from traveling the length of Gaza, Palestinians said.

Ben-Eliezer offered to allow the Palestinian Authority's security services free movement as part of the arrangement, Palestinian sources said.

According to the Palestinians, Ben-Eliezer said Israel also is willing to pull back from Bethlehem and turn over security control to Palestinian Authority forces.

If the Palestinians are able to keep the areas quiet, then Israel would be prepared to withdraw from other cities.

Under the proposal, the Israelis and Palestinians will form two security committees to meet regularly and coordinate their actions, Palestinian sources said. Other details on how the withdrawal would work will be settled at Wednesday night's meeting in Jerusalem, according to the Palestinians.

Yehiyeh told Ben-Eliezer that the Palestinians wanted Israel to begin the withdrawals in the West Bank town of Ramallah, but the Israeli defense minister expressed doubt that the Palestinian Authority could enforce order in the area because its security structure in the West Bank has been largely smashed.