Settlers up in arms over West Bank plan

According to the Israeli press a plan for Israeli redeployment drawn up by defence minister Yitzhak Mordechai would leave almost a third of the Jewish settlements in the West Bank under Palestinian control. The plan was drawn up to meet the army's security needs, and Mr Mordechai will present it at a cabinet meeting on Tuesday. But an Israeli government spokesman says the plan is not definitive, and the cabinet has yet to make a final decision. John King reports.

Mr Mordechai's reported plan is hotly disputed in Israel.

The daily paper Haaretz says 42 of Israel's 144 West Bank settlements would be in areas under Palestinian control in Mr Mordechai's plan, which envisages turning over more than 47 per cent of the West Bank to the Palestinian Authority.

Speaking to Jewish settlers on Monday Mr Mordechai said there was a possibility redeployment might cause "some damage" to settlements in the West Bank, but he said his understanding was that the damage would be very small.

His words brought an angry reaction from settlers.

Government spokesman Moshe Fogel conceded the redeployment would put Jews and Arabs in close proximity, but stressed Israel would always be responsible for the settlers' security and, as he put it, "Israel doesn't plan on abandoning any settlements".

He said: "If you look at the territories themselves you will see that there are certainly areas where there are settlements, and nearby, right around the corner, there will be Palestinian Authority controlled areas.

"So what we have to do is to work out a map in which the Jewish settlers will able to continue staying right where they are, living in safety, while the Palestinians will be able to control their own lives - because we have no desire whatever to control the lives of the Palestinians.

"So I am not saying it is going to be an easy issue to solve, but from our point of view we don't see why any of the settlements should be moved.

"Just as Palestinians come to work in Israel...we would also expect them to honour the principle that Jews can live in the territories and that they have a right to do so," said Mr Fogel.

When other Israeli interests are taken into account the final plan will probably not differ greatly from that put forward earlier by the hawkish infrastructure minister Ariel Sharon, which involved handing over only 30 per cent of the West Bank to the Palestinians, rather than 47 per cent.

The minister of defence is presenting two maps, a security map from the military, and a national interest map, which defines the government's point of view regarding settlements and issues of national security in general.