Israel Delays Gaza Pullout

Sharon Pushes Back Evacuation Of Settlers Until Mid-August

(CBS/AP)  Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said Monday that he will delay a pullout from Gaza for a month, until mid-August, after an annual religious mourning period.

In an interview with Israel TV in advance of Israel's independence day this week, Sharon said the evacuation of settlers from the 21 Gaza settlements would be delayed until after a religious mourning period, which ends Aug. 14.

The original date for starting the removal of settlers from Gaza was July 25.

Sharon's announcement came as negotiators from the United States, Russia, the European Union and the United Nations gathered on the sidelines of Moscow's ceremonies marking the defeat of the Nazis to emphasize their commitment to the "road map" peace plan.

The so-called Quartet agreed that opportunity was at hand to end years of violence but that concrete steps must be taken by both the Israelis and the Palestinians.

"We will intensify our effort and we will expect the parties to intensify their efforts as well," U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said.

Meanwhile, Palestinian militants and police exchanged gunfire Monday in two West Bank towns, defying Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas' attempts to crack down on lawlessness and put peacemaking with Israel on a more solid footing.

However, Palestinian officials said they have made great strides in their plan to get militants off the streets without confrontations.

In the towns of Jericho and Tulkarem, handed to Palestinian control in March, all gunmen once wanted by Israel — a total of more than 200 — have joined the Palestinian security forces, said legislator Abdel Fattah Hemayel, who is in charge of finding jobs for the West Bank fugitives.

Israeli officials said the plan to absorb the gunmen into the security forces is not enough. They said the Palestinians must keep a promise to confiscate weapons. Hemayel said the gunmen's weapons are now under control of their commanders, and that they can no longer use them at will.

In the West Bank town of Tulkarem, a major mission awaited the 150 new recruits. Local security chiefs said they were mobilizing some 400 officers, including the former gunmen, to arrest the leader of a gang of car thieves and arms dealers. Before dawn Monday, the criminals had shot up the local police station.

The Palestinian security forces were severely weakened in more than four years of Israeli-Palestinian fighting, allowing gunmen to control many areas of the West Bank. Since reaching a Feb. 8 cease-fire with Israel, Abbas has been trying to co-opt gunmen by offering them jobs and guaranteeing their safety.