Agreement close in Bethlehem church siege

The outlines of an agreement to resolve the 35-day standoff at the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem were taking shape today, but the sides remained at odds on several issues including how many of the wanted Palestinians inside the Christian shrine would be deported.

The Palestinians want no more than eight of those in the church sent into exile in Italy, while Israel reportedly insists that at least a dozen be deported.

Another 30 Palestinian militiamen would be sent to the Gaza Strip, according to the Palestinians.

A US official confirmed media reports that a senior CIA official - identified by the Maariv daily as Tel Aviv station chief Jeff O’Connell - was involved in the talks, and would also take part in negotiations tonight.

The US official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said a resolution was not likely before tomorrow.

Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, meanwhile, arrived in Washington for talks with US President George W Bush.

Israel and the United States agree on the need for radical reform in Yasser Arafat’s Palestinian Authority, but differ on Arafat’s place as its head. Sharon wants Arafat kept away from future peace talks.

In new fighting, three Palestinians, including an activist in the Islamic militant Hamas group, were killed early today in clashes with Israeli troops in the Gaza Strip.

On Sunday, four Palestinians, including three children, ages three, four and nine, were killed by Israeli tank fire in the West Bank in two separate incidents.

The military expressed regret over the deaths of the children and their mother, and said it would investigate the incident.

The soldiers opened fire at Palestinians fleeing the area after a mine exploded under their tank.

The standoff in Bethlehem began on April 2 when more than 200 Palestinians, including several dozen gunmen, fled into the Church of the Nativity ahead of invading Israeli forces, at the height of Israel’s large-scale incursion into the West Bank.

About 75 Palestinians have since emerged from the besieged compound, which marks Jesus’ traditional birthplace, while last week, 10 foreign pro-Palestinian activists sneaked into the shrine.

Several dozen members of the clergy have been staying inside the compound as well.

Hassan Abed Rabbo, a senior member of Arafat’s Fatah movement in Bethlehem, said the outlines of a deal were in place.

Israeli Defence Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer said he hoped the ‘‘saving formula’’ would be found by the end of the day.

‘‘The problem lies in the careful sorting of who is who and what, and I have a feeling that we are certainly moving in a positive direction,’’ he said.

Under the deal outlined by the Palestinians, some of the wanted men would go into exile and others would be sent to Gaza, where they could be imprisoned under the watch of American and British jailers in a deal similar to one brokered last week that led to Arafat’s release from 34 days of confinement by Israel.

Abed Rabbo said the Palestinians wanted no more than eight men sent into exile, while Israel Radio said Israel was demanding the deportation of about 15.

Yarden Vatikai, an adviser to Ben-Eliezer, confirmed that the size of the group of deportees was one of the sticking points.

Palestinian officials said the deal was being worked out with representatives from the United States, Britain, the Vatican and the European Union.

Ben-Eliezer said today that once the standoff was resolved, Israeli troops would immediately leave Bethlehem, the last Palestinian city in the West Bank they still occupied as part of a military offensive that began March 29.