Sharon to meet Bush as troops enter West Bank

Israeli troops entered another West Bank city early today as Washington announced that President George Bush would meet Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon next week in fresh efforts to bring calm to the Middle East and renew peace talks.

The tanks entered Jenin from the north and south, firing heavy machine guns before pulling back to the edges of the city, Palestinians said. Troops also entered a refugee camp near the West Bank city of Nablus where they have occupied several areas since Friday.

The director of the CIA, George Tenet, was today due to meet Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat as part of American efforts to help reform the corruption-ridden Palestinian Authority, particularly its unwieldy security system.

The Americans want to bolster Palestinian security forces, which have been seriously weakened by Israeli incursions into Palestinian areas. The international community is trying to get the Palestinian Authority to crack down on militant activity responsible for deadly attacks in Israel.

Arafat had a plan ready to show Tenet, Palestinian officials said. It has four security services - police, border guards, internal security and external security - plus military intelligence and Arafat’s personal guard unit.

Yesterday Tenet met Sharon, who has insisted to the Americans that Arafat is responsible for the 20 months of Middle East violence and must be replaced before any peace talks can begin.

Last night the Palestinian Cabinet overrode a decision by its own Supreme Court to release a militant from US and British-supervised custody, underlining some of the reform issues Tenet is to discuss.

The Palestinian Cabinet accused Sharon of trying to prevent Palestinian security forces from carrying out the decision to free Ahmed Saadat, leader of a radical PLO faction that claimed responsibility for the assassination of Israeli tourism minister Rehavam Zeevi last October.

A Cabinet statement said the Palestinian leadership, which is headed by Arafat, respected the court decision, but could not implement it because ‘‘the Israeli occupation forces closed the city of Jericho immediately after the decision, and Sharon’s spokesman had threatened to assassinate him’’.

There was no immediate Israeli reaction to the reversal. After the court ruled, Sharon said: ‘‘We will take all the necessary steps so that he will not be released.’’

Saadat, four PFLP members and a sixth man were transferred from Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat’s office on May 1 as part of an agreement to end a 34-day Israeli siege on Arafat’s headquarters during a large-scale Israeli incursion into the West Bank.

The six were taken to Jericho and placed under the supervision of British and US wardens.

While overturning the Supreme Court decision might save Tenet the embarrassment of dealing with a US-brokered deal that was unravelling with the release of a key prisoner, the Cabinet decision was another case of the executive branch overruling the judicial.

In a further sign the US administration was delving into efforts to end the Middle East crisis, Washington announced last night that Bush would meet Sharon next week at the White House.

The meeting will be the sixth between the two and come after key meetings between Bush and Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak.

Sharon will leave Israel on Friday and meet Bush on Monday, Israel Radio reported.

Diplomatic activity to end tensions has increased in recent weeks as fighting between the sides has eased somewhat. As part of the efforts, a peace conference is tentatively planned for late July.

In the Israeli army activity overnight, troops entered the Askar refugee camp near Nablus, arresting dozens of Palestinians, Palestinians said. The army said it was arresting Palestinians suspected of involvement in terror activity. While the army oversees security in the area of the camp, troops usually abstain from entering the area.

Troops also entered the city of Qalqiliya late Monday, imposing a curfew and arresting dozens of people in searches, local residents said. The army continued to impose a curfew on Nablus for the fourth straight day as dozens of Palestinians arrested there remained in custody.

The Israelis say they uncovered several explosives laboratories in Nablus and arrested suspected militants wanted for attacks against Israeli soldiers and civilians.

The Palestinian news agency Wafa denounced the Israeli incursions. ‘‘The Israeli occupation forces are still rolling their tanks in every city, town, village and refugee camp, destroying, killing and imposing terror on the Palestinian citizens,’’ a Wafa statement said.