Arafat joins truce as road map back on track

THE mainstream Palestinian Fatah movement, headed by Yasser Arafat, last night announced it was suspending attacks against Israel following the declaration of a truce by the militant Hamas and Islamic

Jihad groups. Fatah said it would halt all military operations in accordance with an Egyptian initiative. The length of the truce was not stated, but previous reports about the Egyptian plan said it called for a one-year truce.

Fatah officials said the group’s central council approved the ceasefire, several hours after Hamas and Islamic Jihad declared a three- month halt to attacks against Israelis, surprising Fatah leaders.

The truce was negotiated by the three main groups last week, but formal announcement was held up while additional groups were consulted.

Also, Fatah leaders, including Arafat and Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas, were unhappy with the fact that they were not consulted in the negotiations.

The truce was put together by West Bank Fatah leader Marwan Barghouti, who is in an Israeli prison on murder charges stemming from Palestinian attacks that killed 26 Israelis.

The truce could provide a boost for implementation of the US-backed road map peace plan.

An end to 33 months of bloody Palestinian-Israeli violence comes at the outset of the first of three phases, along with an Israeli pull-back to positions its military held before the current violence erupted in September 2000 and a halt to construction in Israeli settlements in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

As part of the road map plan, the Palestinians are to dismantle the militant groups, but Abbas has said he will not confront them militarily.

Israeli officials said today the truce could backfire if the militant groups are allowed to use the truce period to rearm and plan new attacks.

Meanwhile, Israeli troops and tanks began pulling out of northern Gaza last night, military sources said, in keeping with an agreement to hand responsibility for security in Gaza over to the Palestinians.

Israel TV showed pictures of a long line of vehicles snaking northwards out of the Gaza Strip.

As part of a US-backed peace plan, Israel and the Palestinians agreed on the handover of security responsibility to the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank town of Bethlehem.

Israel insists the Palestinians must halt terror attacks originating in the areas they control.

As a key element of the agreement, Palestinians are to be allowed freedom to travel the length of the main road in Gaza.

It is frequently cut in two places by Israeli forces as a response to attacks against Israeli settlers.