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IDF Opposes Hebron Withdrawal Now
(Ha'aretz) - Senior officers in the IDF oppose an Israeli withdrawal from Hebron, discussed by the political echelon as a possible next step in the "Gaza-Bethlehem First" plan for gradual withdrawals from Palestinian territory. IDF sources objected that the plan strengthens the status of PA Chairman Yasser Arafat, thereby undermining the efforts Israel has made over the last several months to weaken him. "This process is returning the color to Arafat's cheeks," said one officer. Furthermore, the sources said, the declarations about Israel's intentions to withdraw from additional cities in the West Bank have raised Palestinian expectations, while Israel has yet to receive any tangible benefits in return. The IDF is recommending that any withdrawal from Hebron be deferred for another six weeks, partly to avoid any problems in the city during the High Holidays, when many Jews flock there to pray at the Cave of the Patriarchs, but also to provide sufficient time to determine how the withdrawals have worked in Bethlehem and Gaza. On Thursday, Palestinian terrorists opened fire on Jewish houses in the Tel Rumeida neighborhood of Hebron, though no one was injured. In Gaza, there were exchanges of gunfire throughout the day. On Thursday night, three armed Palestinians dressed in Israeli army uniforms and armed with assault rifles and hand grenades attempted to infiltrate the Gaza Strip community of Kfar Darom; IDF soldiers killed two of the terrorists.