Palestinians, Israelis agree to halt fighting

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip -- Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat said Tuesday he ordered his forces to prevent any attacks on Israeli soldiers and to hold back even if fired upon. Israel responded by promising not to launch attacks on Palestinians. \nIsrael also said it would withdraw troops from Palestinian areas it seized in recent days. Later Tuesday, dozens of tanks pulled back from the outskirts of the West Bank town of Jenin, witnesses said. \nSeveral hours after Arafat's announcement, two shooting incidents were reported in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. It was unclear what provoked them. \nBoth sides have been under pressure from the United States to work out a truce. Washington is trying to bring Arab and Muslim countries into an international anti-terror coalition it is forming in response to the Sept. 11 attacks on the United States. \nContinued Mideast fighting would disrupt such efforts. \nArafat said Tuesday he was committed to a truce with Israel and was doing his utmost to enforce it. \nHe told foreign diplomats at his Gaza City office that he has ordered his security forces "to act intensively in securing a cease-fire on all our fronts." Even if his men came under fire, he said, they were to show "maximum restraint." \nIn response, Israeli Defense Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer ordered a halt to all offensive military operations against the Palestinians, said ministry spokesman Yarden Vatikay. \n"If Arafat really wants to calm the area, we want to help, to give Arafat a chance," said Vatikay, adding that Israel remained skeptical about Arafat's intentions. \nVatikay would not elaborate on the army's new orders. It appeared that the halt would cover Israeli incursions into Palestinian territory and targeted attacks on suspected Palestinian militants. But Israeli troops would be allowed to return fire if fired upon. \nU.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell called Arafat's statements "strong and positive" and praised Israel's reciprocal measures. The result, he said, would be a "sort of separation that might encourage a state of nonviolence." \nPowell said he had conferred Tuesday by phone with Arafat and with Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Foreign Minister Shimon Peres. \nShortly after the Israeli announcement, more than 35 tanks and armored vehicles were seen withdrawing from positions around the West Bank town of Jenin, Palestinian witnesses said. \nIn recent days, Israel had stepped up its retaliation for Palestinian shooting attacks, with Israeli tanks repeatedly entering Palestinian towns. In the past week, 26 Palestinians and six Israelis have been killed. \nThe Israeli army said that a post came under fire in the West Bank town of Hebron late Tuesday after Arafat's announcement. Troops returned fire, the army said. \nA gun battle was also reported in the Rafah refugee camp in the Gaza Strip, near the Israeli-Palestinian border. It was not immediately clear what triggered the fighting. \nIn the past year of fighting, several cease-fire deals have collapsed, with each side accusing the other of being the aggressor. \nHowever, the terror attacks on the United States and the expected U.S. response have forced both Israel and the Palestinians to rethink their tactics. \nA senior Palestinian official, speaking privately, said the Palestinian leadership hoped to start a new chapter with Israel, urging Israel to do its part to bring down the violence. \nThe U.N. envoy to the Middle East, Terje Roed-Larsen, said he believed Arafat's attitude has changed. \n"I think there's a strong belief on the Palestinian side that power is no longer in the barrel of a gun, that power now is based on diplomatic instruments to be used at the negotiating table," said Roed-Larsen, who has been in close contact with Arafat. \nThe U.N. envoy said a meeting should be arranged as quickly as possible between Arafat and Peres. \nSharon has said he would only allow such talks after there have been 48 hours of complete quiet. It was not immediately clear whether Sharon is sticking to his condition.