Israel and Palestine begin Gaza talks

At the first field-level meeting to coordinate Israel’s summer pullout from the Gaza Strip, Israel warned the Palestinians it will not allow violence to hinder the operation and would attack militants if necessary.

The session late last night in Tel Aviv was the first of a series of talks to arrange an orderly handover of the crowded seaside strip.

Originally, Israel presented the “disengagement” as a unilateral step, but with the succession of Mahmoud Abbas to power, replacing Yasser Arafat, Israel changed its policy.

After the two-hour session, the Israeli military released a statement saying: “The meeting was held in a positive atmosphere. Both sides agreed to continue the meetings to coordinate the disengagement” – the Israeli term for the pullout.

The deputy chief of staff, Major General Moshe Kaplinski, said Israel “will not allow terror attacks to interfere with the disengagement”.

The Israeli military would undertake “pinpoint” actions in Gaza to stop attacks if the Palestinian Authority fails to act.

No Palestinian comment was immediately available. The Palestinian team was led by deputy Interior Minister Jamal Abi-Zihad.

Egyptian intelligence chief Omar Suleiman, a key mediator in the conflict, is expected to meet Israeli officials today.

The pullout, involving evacuation of all 21 Jewish settlements from the Gaza Strip and four from the West Bank, is set to start in mid-August.

It would be the first time Israel evacuated veteran settlements from those territories, and settlers are hotly opposed, pledging resistance. Though settler leaders say their action would be peaceful, security officials have warned that extremists could open fire on soldiers and police.