Israeli tanks rolled into three Palestinian suburbs of Jerusalem and re-entered a West Bank city yesterday, a day after Prime Minister Ariel Sharon promised the US he would withdraw soldiers from most Palestinian areas by next week.
Despite the Israeli action, US Secretary of State Colin Powell said he hoped to work out something less than a formal ceasefire in the next 24 hours. "I think we are making progress," Powell said, but did not explain further.
However, a senior Palestinian official said it appeared unlikely Powell's mission would be successful. Efforts to formulate a joint US-Palestinian statement condemning suicide bombings and calling for an Israeli troop withdrawal broke down because of the Palestinians' insistence to include guarantees for eventual statehood in the document, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Powell yesterday held what appeared likely to be the last round of talks with Sharon of his peace mission. Powell and Sharon met for an hour at the Israeli leader's Jerusalem office.
Powell was apparently trying to convince Sharon to order a full military withdrawal from Palestinian-ruled cities in the West Bank rather than a partial pullout.
An Israeli official told reporters on condition of anonymity that the meeting -- the third between the two leaders this trip -- would be one-on-one and he was not aware of plans for another session with Sharon today.
Before the meeting, Powell told reporters: "I am going to have a good discussion with the prime minister."
The two shook hands in front of television cameras, but did not take questions before starting their meeting at Sharon's office in Jerusalem.
Before departing for Cairo, Powell is due to meet Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat today at his besieged headquarters in the West Bank town of Ramallah.
In a further blow to US efforts, Syria denounced Sharon's proposal for a new Arab-Israeli peace conference, with the ruling party newspaper calling it a "dirty maneuver that is totally rejected."
Syria's participation in such a conference would be crucial. Powell raised the idea Monday during a meeting in Damascus with Syrian President Bashar Assad.
Before dawn yesterday, Israeli tanks and armored personnel carriers rolled into Abu Dis, Izzariyeh and Sawahra As-Sharkiyeh, three suburbs of Jerusalem. Troops declared a curfew, confining tens of thousands of residents to their homes.
Abu Dis resident Amjad Bader said 12 armored personnel carriers entered his neighborhood at about 2am yesterday -- a first since Israel captured the West Bank in the 1967 Mideast war.
Palestinian Parliament Speaker Ahmed Qureia, who lives in Abu Dis, said the raids belied Sharon's pledge Monday to begin pulling back soldiers.
"What is needed is ... to stop these incursions and to withdraw immediately from Palestinian cities and villages," Qureia said. "Unfortunately, these incursions are taking place while Secretary Powell is in the country."
Early yesterday, Israeli troops also re-entered Tulkarem, one of two towns evacuated April 9. The Israeli military said the incursion was aimed at making arrests, not reoccupying the town. Troops left by mid-morning, witnesses said.
In Nablus, troops continued arrest sweeps. In the Raffidiyeh area of Nablus, troops ordered men out of apartment buildings and took them to an area school, witnesses said.
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