Wednesday, 23 May, 2001, 07:54 GMT 08:54 UK

Israel stops 'offensive action'

Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has called for a truce with the Palestinians, and Israeli troops have been told to open fire on Palestinians only if there is a threat to Israeli lives.

The move came in response to recommendations on ending eight months of violence in the Middle East made by the US-led Mitchell commission on Tuesday.

But Mr Sharon rejected a freeze on building in Jewish settlements, a key recommendation of the report, prompting Palestinian accusations that Israel is being selective in its acceptance of the report.

Palestinian officials have described the new Israeli military rules of engagement as a "trick".

European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana is in Israel on Wednesday to discuss the Mitchell report with Mr Sharon.

Despite talk of peace since the release of the report, there were overnight clashes in the Palestinian territories, and the two sides exchanged gunfire on the outskirts of Jerusalem. Israel said it was responding to a Palestinian attack.

Partial response

The Israeli defence minister, Binyamin Ben-Eliezer, announced new Israeli rules of engagement a few hours after Mr Sharon's national broadcast.

Their forces have now been ordered not to open fire against the Palestinians unless they themselves are under fire and Israeli lives are under threat.

BBC correspondents in Jerusalem say the decision to stop offensive action appears to be a significant shift, but still gives the army considerable leeway.

Many previous operations, including the use of F-16 fighter bombers against Palestinian areas, have been justified on self-defence grounds.

But it does appear to be at least a partial response to pressure from the world community to end the violence.

Mr Sharon said: "I propose to our neighbours to work together for an immediate ceasefire and hope the Palestinians will answer the call positively."

In Washington, White House spokesman Ari Fleischer told reporters that President Bush "welcomes the statement by Prime Minister Sharon," and said that the US "would welcome a similar statement" from the Palestinians.

But the Palestinians rejected the comments on a ceasefire.

"It is a trick, a manoeuvre on top of Sharon's trick of his so-called approval of the Mitchell report," a close aide to Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, Ahmed Abdel-Rahman, told the French news agency AFP.

"Talk of a ceasefire is misleading because actually there is only aggression against the Palestinian people, it's not a war that requires a ceasefire."

Settlement 'time-bomb'

In his speech, Mr Sharon said that peace depended on both sides making difficult compromises, but added that while no new Jewish settlements would be built, existing communities must be allowed to grow.

He said that the issue should be dealt with as part of a final peace agreement with the Palestinians, and not before all violence ends.

But Mr Rahman described the settlement issue as a "time-bomb".

"As long as settlement exists on occupied Palestinian land, resistance and uprising will go on," he said.

-- Anonymous, May 23, 2001

Answers

Response to Israel - Stops offensive action

Who are they building these units for in the settlements?? Would you move into one? I sure wouldn't! Ever been to the West Bank? The Arabs can sit on the hill and shoot right through your bedroom window. Taz

-- Anonymous, May 23, 2001