March 15, 2002	Friday	Zilhaj 30, 1422

TEL AVIV, March 14: Israel’s assault in the West Bank city of Ramallah triggered a confrontation on Wednesday between Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Defence Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer on pressing on with the offensive.

Details of the spat leaked to the Israeli media showed that a decision by Ben-Eliezer to veto a deeper military advance into Ramallah before the start of a US envoy’s truce mission had earned Sharon’s fury.

Ben-Eliezer heads the centre-left Labour Party, the main partner in the coalition government led by Sharon, head of the right-wing Likud party.

The two men sparred at a cabinet session as Israeli forces continued their two-week-old offensive in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

On Tuesday Israeli tanks and infantry reoccupied Ramallah, where Palestinian President Yasser Arafat has his headquarters.

The reports said Sharon angrily accused Ben-Eliezer of taking a unilateral decision that violated cabinet policy to apply strong military pressure on the Palestinians.

Ben-Eliezer then threatened to resign, prompting Sharon’s reported answer: “Whoever wants to leave can leave...Don’t threaten me with elections. As far as I’m concerned we can go to elections. You all know exactly what the results will be.”

The two then patched up their differences in a private meeting.

“At the end of the one-on-one meeting, both the prime minister and the defence minister decided that Israeli military activity would continue in accordance with the security cabinet decision,” Sharon’s office said in a statement.

“It was clear at the end of the session they have no differences of opinion on continuing the operation.”

Sharon’s coalition is already under threat after two ultranationalist ministers submitted their resignations on Tuesday, which will pull a bloc of seven right-wing lawmakers out of government when they take effect.

PHASED WITHDRAWAL: Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon on Thursday ordered the army to begin a phased withdrawal from the West Bank town of Ramallah, the Palestinian Authority’s capital.

But the Palestinian self-rule town, occupied by the army since Tuesday, will remain encircled by Israeli troops once the withdrawal has been carried out, a radio network reported.

A statement from Sharon’s office said he had ordered the army “to redeploy in the Ramallah region upon the successful conclusion of the IDF (army) operation”.

The prime minister “expressed the hope that the results of the (army’s) activities will aid the diplomatic effort to secure a complete ceasefire forthwith”, the statement added.

The announcement came just hours before the arrival of US envoy Anthony Zinni in Israel.—Reuters/AFP