ARABS-ISRAEL - Oct. 26 - Israel Sets Out Terms For Removing Troops.

After a meeting with PA and US security officials, PM Sharon's office issues a statement saying Israel does not intend to stay in area A - territory controlled by the PA - for an extended period. It adds: "The pullout of forces from area A will be made possible over time, in conjunction with the fulfilment of the requirements demanded from the Palestinian Authority". Israeli officials say they would withdraw forces from Bethlehem and Beit Jalla on Oct. 27. (The move comes after the Israeli security cabinet agreed on Oct. 25 to a conditional withdrawal, and follows the appeals for Israel to withdraw by the US, and, on Oct. 25, by the UN Security Council. Israeli officials insist on a piecemeal withdrawal from the six occupied areas, depending on the level of security in each one. Some areas have been relatively quiet. But in others, particularly Bethlehem, where PA officials say 21 Arabs have been killed in the past week, the clashes have been fierce. A western diplomat said: "There is a natural Palestinian resistance to partial ceasefires in areas of Israel's choosing. They would prefer to go for a comprehensive agreement". In the past, the PA has agreed to calm the situation in specific areas in order to persuade Israel to end its incursions. But this time, the Israeli government is imposing additional conditions and demanding that Arafat crack down on radical Palestinian groups such as the PFLP and Hamas. Sharon has demanded the extradition of Zeevi's killers, although diplomats have said extradition does not figure in existing agreements between Israel and the PA). According to a poll published in Maariv on Oct. 26, 66% of Israelis want PM Sharon to ignore international pressure to withdraw. Almost as many hold Arafat responsible for Zeevi's death. The Israeli government has meanwhile issued a partial list of 42 "terrorists" it says have been arrested since Zeevi's murder. The army on Oct. 26 killed three men, described as Palestinian gunmen, who were trying to infiltrate a Jewish settlement in the Gaza Strip.