JERUSALEM — Israel on Monday offered its first indication it was reassessing relations with the Palestinians after Yasser Arafat's death, suggesting it might coordinate a planned withdrawal from the Gaza Strip if the Palestinian Authority cracks down on militant groups.
Palestinian leaders reacted cautiously to remarks by Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom and argued that Israel should "unconditionally" reopen peace talks under the U.S.-backed "road map" plan.Prime Minister Ariel Sharon had previously refused to negotiate the "unilateral disengagement plan" with Arafat, insisting that he was responsible for four years of fighting.
Arafat's death in a French hospital last week has opened up what many leaders believe is a crucial opportunity to revive the Middle East peace process by clearing the way for a more moderate leadership.
If leaders emerge who are willing to stem the violence, Israel is prepared to coordinate the plan to move troops and 8,800 Jewish settlers out of the Gaza Strip and four West Bank settlements, Israeli officials said Monday. Such coordination is considered critical to avoid a chaotic transition.
"Israel has every interest that Gaza will be ruled in a responsible manner when redeployment takes place," Shalom told a conference of North American Jews in Cleveland. "If the new leadership on the Palestinian side acts to combat terror, then we will be able to consider coordinating aspects of the 'day after' with them.