Gaza withdrawal 'difficult under fire'

In that situation, the army would have to suspend the pullout and fight the militants before it could proceed with the withdrawal, he said.

“I don’t see how technically we can do both things at once,” Halutz said. “There won’t be disengagement under fire.”

However, he did not specify how much violence Israel would be willing to absorb before stopping the pullout to attack the militants.

“(It) depends on how much fire, what kind of fire, where the fire is. But in principle, there can be no fire,” he said.

Halutz emphasised that the military would carry out the withdrawal, unless the government changes its decision in favour of the disengagement plan.

The Israeli government has expressed concern that the militants, wanting to create the impression that their attacks are driving Israel out of Gaza, will take advantage of the chaos surrounding the pullout to fire at the troops and settlers.

Top Israeli officials have been working to coordinate the pullout with Palestinian leaders to prevent such attacks, and the Palestinian Authority has promised to give militant groups a voice in post-pullout plans in exchange for a promise to refrain from violence.

In the West Bank city of Ramallah today, Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qureia threatened to halt government functions if security chaos in the Palestinian areas is not ended.

“There are violations, especially by members of the security forces themselves. this is not acceptable. and the citizen can no longer live with this chaos,” he said. “If no limits are placed on the deterioration in the security situation, the government will suspend its responsibilities.”

Qureia said the execution of four criminals on Sunday was part of the process of restoring order.

During four years of Palestinian-Israeli violence, Palestinian security forces have lost control of their streets. Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas has been working to combine more than a dozen competing and overlapping forces into an efficient service.

Palestinian and Israeli security officials were meeting in Tel Aviv later Tuesday to help coordinate the Gaza pullout, and Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Abbas were scheduled to hold a June 21 summit, in part to discuss the withdrawal, scheduled for mid-August.

Palestinian Foreign Minister Nasser Al Kidwa said that Abbas’ priority in the meeting will be to reach agreement on the pullout, the implementation of a February cease-fire agreement and an Israeli pullback from Palestinian towns in the West Bank.

The cease-fire agreement has been shaken recently by a flare-up in fighting between Palestinian militants and Israeli troops.

A collapse in the 4-month-old truce would be a major setback for Abbas, who hopes to restart peace talks with Israel. Israel has ruled out peace talks until Abbas takes tougher steps against the militants.

With tensions rising, White House official Elliot Abrams and other US officials were expected to arrive later today to help plan for the upcoming visit by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. Egyptian intelligence chief Omar Suleiman, a key mediator in the conflict, was expected to meet with Israeli officials tomorrow.

Jibril Rajoub, Abbas’ national security adviser, said yesterday there was a consensus among Palestinian groups that the cease-fire should remain in effect at least through Israel’s withdrawal from Gaza.

“We should let the occupation leave quietly,” he said. ”After the Israeli withdrawal, we can sit and evaluate things the same way we did when we agreed on the cease-fire.”

Since the truce was declared, violence between Israelis and Palestinians plummeted, though sporadic attacks continued.

Attacks flared up last week after an Israeli raid into a Palestinian village killed two Islamic Jihad militants and a Palestinian mortar barrage killed three people.

In continuing violence, Palestinian gunmen opened fire today at Israeli troops near the settlement of Gadid in southern Gaza and also along the Gaza border with Egypt, the army said. No one was reported injured.