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Palestinians accept gradual Israeli withdrawal from West Bank: official

30 January 2014 03:39 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. The Palestinians would accept a gradual Israeli military withdrawal from the West Bank within three years as part of a peace agreement, a senior Palestinian official said on Wednesday, APA reports quoting Xinhua.

Hanan Ashrawi, the official of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), told Xinhua that the gradual Israeli withdrawal from the West Bank will include the Jordan Valley area in the framework of a permanent peace agreement.

"We are ready to accept the gradual Israeli military withdrawal from the West Bank within an agreed three-year period," said Ashrawi, adding "We won't accept the Israeli proposal to do this within ten years."

Meanwhile, Ashrawi said the Palestinians would oppose any Israeli military presence on the territories of the future Palestinian state after the withdrawal is completed.

Earlier Israeli media said that U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, who sponsors the Israeli-Palestinian talks, presented new security arrangements that guarantee full Israeli security control on the borders with Jordan.

According to the report, the Americans proposed an Israeli presence in the Jordan Valley area for ten years and an Israeli electronic observation of the West Bank.