US envoy Mr Anthony Zinni has called for a joint security meeting between Israel and the Palestinians, Israeli army radio said today.
The radio said Israel had agreed to attending the meeting on Sunday, though there was no official confirmation. Neither were there any immediate reports of the Palestinian side having replied to Mr Zinni's invitation.
Israel has started a limited withdrawal from the West Bank ahead of Mr Zinni's return later today.
But Palestinian leaders blasted the claim of a pullback as "lies", saying Israel had done nothing to alleviate its suffocating blockade both around and inside its territories.
The military encirclement of four areas - Tulkarem, Qalqilya and Jenin in the north and Hebron in the south - will end totally, the Israeli army said.
However, deployment around Nablus and Ramallah, where Palestinian leader Mr Yasser Arafat has been confined to his office for the past month by Israeli forces, will remain.
Cracks have widened in the Israeli leadership's approach to dealing with the Palestinians, following a dramatic drop in anti-Israeli violence.
Prime Minister Mr Ariel Sharon repeated his stance that there must be seven days of calm before the ceasefire talks Mr Zinni intends to usher in can proceed.
But Israeli Foreign Minister Mr Shimon Peres said that, as unrest had eased after Mr Arafat ordered an end to all attacks, Israel should move rapidly on a US-drafted truce plan.
Mr Sharon's attitude, stemming from his oft-repeated refusal to "negotiate under fire", was denounced by chief Palestinian negotiator Mr Saeb Erakat as a bid to undermine Mr Zinni's mission even before he arrived.
AFP