Israel rejects UN call to leave Palestinian areas

Israel said yesterday its forces would remain in two Palestinian-ruled West Bank areas despite a demand by the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council for a pullout.

The foreign ministers of the United States, Britain, France, Russia and China also called on Palestinians to end more than 13 months of resistance operations in a joint statement issued on Monday at the UN General Assembly meeting.

Palestinian cabinet minister Hassan Asfour condemned the foreign ministers' appeal for an end to the revolt against Israeli occupation, saying it justified Israel's terrorist acts against the Palestinian people.

Raanan Gissin, a spokesman for Israeli Prime Minister, Ariel Sharon, said troops would not leave West Bank areas around Jenin and Tulkarm until Palestinian security forces agreed to restrain resistance fighters and prevent resistance operations.

Senior Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat told Reuters US President George W. Bush had to make good his vision of Israeli and Palestinian states living peacefully side-by-side, which he presented to the UN General Assembly on Saturday.

"It's very important for this to be transferred from a vision to a political track," Erekat said in an interview. "What Mr. Bush said is significant, but...that puts President Bush's credibility on the line if he doesn't follow up on this."

Asfour said the five Security Council foreign ministers had missed a chance to restart long-stalled Middle East peace talks.

"I was hoping that the foreign ministers would...attempt to put an end to the conflict, reiterating the need to end Israel's occupation," he told Reuters.

In a report documenting the first year of the uprising, Amnesty International called for international observers to be dispatched immediately to calm the violence and accused Israel of human rights violations.

"An international observing presence can greatly assist by defusing volatile situations and give both Palestinians and Israelis greater protection," Amnesty said in a statement highlighting the contents of the 98-page report.

"It should be deployed without further delay," it said.