RAMALLAH, 5 May — The Palestinian Authority geared yesterday for a major shake-up to cope with the aftermath of Israel’s massive West Bank offensive that has left the autonomous administration reeling as the month-long siege at Bethlehem’s Nativity Church appeared close to resolution late yesterday after EU envoys tried to finalize a deal to transfer wanted Palestinians holed up inside to international custody.
In a late night development, a list of Palestinians trapped in the church was handed over to a European diplomat and a Palestinian negotiator, an AFP photographer observed.
The list was passed to a British diplomat and to Palestinian negotiator Imad Natche.
It was relayed to them by a priest who left the church compound.
Four of the most wanted men inside the church are now expected to surrender to international custody in the next few days, a European official said.
A European official earlier quoted a senior Palestinian as saying the crisis could be resolved by today.
Bethlehem’s Mayor Hanna Nasser had earlier said he expected a final agreement to end the siege within 24 hours.
"There is no reason not to suppose that an agreement won’t be reached tonight or no later than Sunday morning," Nasser told AFP.
The move came after a Palestinian man said by Israel to be a top activist was shot dead inside the church compound by Israeli snipers who have besieged the church since April 2.
High-level talks were under way with European mediators after the local team of Palestinian negotiators quit their posts in protest both at Israeli intransigence and at the agreement by the Palestinians inside the church — hungry and desperate — to submit the list of names.
In other developments Israeli troops staged fresh incursions into Palestinian areas and the Palestinian leadership announced yesterday it would enact internal reforms to tackle the huge task of rebuilding its shattered infrastructure.
Arafat set up late Friday an internal reform committee to study ways of improving the performance of his battered Palestinian Authority, Communications Minister Imad Al-Faluji said.
In a stormy session in Ramallah, the Palestinian Authority’s Minister of Parliamentary Affairs Nabil Amr quit after Arafat rejected his recommendation to restructure the Cabinet and draft in a diverse range of experts to help run the beleaguered authority.
"Everybody feels that an earthquake has taken place in Palestinian society. So the changes must be equal in size to what happened," Amr told journalists in Ramallah.
Israeli forces yesterday staged a fresh raid into a West Bank town in search of Palestinian activists. Israeli troops and tanks entered Tulkaram before dawn and combed through several homes in the town, witnesses said.
In the Gaza Strip, a Palestinian security officer was shot dead in an Israeli incursion into Khan Yunis refugee camp. Ramzi Ayid, 25, was shot in the head at his national security forces checkpoint as Israeli tanks bore down on him near Al-Qarara, close to Khan Yunis, the official said.
Arafat during a meeting yesterday briefed European diplomats on the Palestinian stand on peace talks and reiterated his call for international peacekeepers, participants at the meeting said.
Arafat and senior officials including chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat met with 15 European envoys for 90 minutes in his battered Ramallah headquarters.
"President Arafat informed the European ambassadors and representatives about the current situation," Arafat’s senior adviser Nabil Abu Rudeina told reporters in a brief statement.
As the United States, the United Nations, Russia and the European Union plan a Middle East conference, delegates in the talks said Arafat made clear he backed an Arab blueprint for peace.
"Arafat spoke of the international conference and said the Palestinian side favored an Arab League initiative based on the Saudi plan and Palestinian Authority was ready to follow this direction," a foreign envoy told AFP on condition of anonymity.
In Riyadh, the Palestinian envoy to the Kingdom said yesterday President Arafat is trying to set up a meeting with Saudi leaders as soon as possible to discuss the Middle East crisis. "The president is very keen to meet with the Saudi leadership at the nearest opportunity and consultations are going on over the date, place and framework," Ambassador Mustafa Hashem Al-Sheikh told Reuters by telephone.
"But no official decision has been taken yet," he said, adding that the venue could be Egypt, Saudi Arabia or Morocco where Crown Prince Abdullah, deputy premier and commander of the National Guard, is on holiday.
A Saudi official said the consultations are being held between Arafat, Prince Abdullah and Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak to "coordinate stances" after Israel lifted a month-long siege of Arafat’s headquarters in Ramallah.
According to Jordan’s official Petra news agency Egypt’s Foreign Minister Ahmed Maher and Osama Al-Baz, political adviser to Mubarak, will travel to Ramallah to see Arafat today, .
Turkish Foreign Minister Ismail Cem yesterday said his country has offered to host a Middle East conference, but added he could not confirm Israeli media reports that Turkey has been selected as host for talks slated to begin in June.
In the United Nations Israel found itself isolated Friday in an open debate in the Security Council on its rejection of the UN fact-finding mission to probe into Jenin massacre.
Nasser Al-Kidwa, Palestinian observer to the UN, said the council had failed to give Annan its full support and had caved in to "blackmailing" by the Israeli government.
In Madrid, the European Union yesterday said it "deplores" the UN decision to call off a fact-finding mission into Israel’s assault on the Jenin refugee camp and that without it, the long shadow cast by events there would remain.
