Palestinians put under "intolerable pressure"

PALESTINIAN negotiators have been put under what one Palestinian source called "intolerable pressure" on the long overdue Israeli army redeployment in Hebron, but there seems to be little chance of agreement being reached in time for the three day economic summit which opens in Cairo on Tuesday.

Israeli officials, including the resident, Mr Ezer Weizman, and the Prime Minister, Mr Benjamin Netanyahu, have repeatedly accused the President of the Palestine Authority, Mr Yasser Arafat, of stalling on an agreement which could have been concluded, in Mr Netanyahu's estimation, "two weeks ago". But Palestinian sources close to the negotiations argue that Israel is to blame for obstructing progress because it "dictated new terms and simply expected the Palestinians to accept them".

Dr Saeb Erekat, head of the Palestinian negotiating team, said the Palestinians expected Mr Dennis Ross, the US facilitator, "to say who is responsible for the delay in implementing the agreement over Hebron and who wants to change the original agreement" reached in September 1995 during negotiations at the Egyptian Red Sea resort, Taba.

As this agreement was signed, with great fanfare, as the "Second Oslo Accord", at the White House, the Palestinians complain bitterly that the US should act as guarantor of that agreement and not permit Israel to make major modifications in its terms. Mr Arafat is "in no position to accept what Israel is offering", a source said, and the Palestinian leader has the support of Jordan and Egypt.

Hebron redeployment is only one aspect of the accord which covers the transfer of authority from Israel to the Palestine Authority throughout the West Bank and Gaza, the release of prisoners, economic relations and the opening of "safe passages" for Palestinians between Gaza and the West Bank as well as the operation of the airport in Gaza.

Last week Mr Arafat insisted that Israel implement all aspects of the accord and not just the Hebron redeployment. Once this has been accomplished Mr Netanyahu has expressed his determination to move directly on to the difficult "final status" negotiations without completing implementation of "self rule" for the "interim period" which ends in May 1999.

The Palestinians fear that the situation on the ground would be frozen, leaving Israel in control of 95 per cent of the West Bank and 40 per cent of Gaza and the Palestinians in possession of only the West Bank towns instead of the bulk of the territory, excluding Israeli settlements and military staging areas.

. Israel's supreme court yesterday imposed a ban on the use of "physical pressure" against a Palestinian prisoner, Mr Mustafa Hassan Abu Nasser (25), who complained of being tortured in jail, legal sources said.