A US envoy met Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon yesterday to deliver what the White House said was an uncompromising message from President George W. Bush to end an Israeli offensive in Palestinian areas.
Bush sent former Marine Corps General Anthony Zinni to see Sharon after the Israeli leader defied previous calls by the president to begin withdrawing armour and troops from West Bank cities, villages and refugee camps.
A spokesman for Sharon confirmed the meeting had taken place at the prime minister`s office but gave no details.
Israel Radio said later the Israeli army will begin a pullout from two West Bank cities within hours.
The report said Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, under pressure from US President George W. Bush, had decided Israeli forces would leave the cities of Qalqilya and Tulkarm.
There was no immediate confirmation from the Israeli army. The radio said Sharon made the decision after consultations with top cabinet ministers and that Israel would announce that its forces were leaving the two cities after completing their mission there to round up militants and weapons.
The report did not say when Israel intended to withdraw from other West Bank cities, villages and refugee camps.
White House spokesman Ari Fleischer said earlier in Washington that Zinni would "deliver the message that the president meant it - they need to begin to withdraw now".
In forceful comments to reporters in Tennessee, Bush said: "I meant what I said to the prime minister of Israel. I expect there to be a withdrawal without delay."
Before meeting Zinni, Sharon told parliament the 10-day-old sweep for Palestinian militants, launched after a wave of suicide bombings killed scores of Israelis, would continue "with as much speed as possible" until it achieved its goal.
Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres said yesterday Israel would ease a quarantine of Arafat by letting him meet Powell.
Fighting raged in the Palestinian-ruled cities of Jenin and Nablus, and Israeli troops fired shots at the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, where 200 gunmen and civilians were holed up. Each side said the other fired first.
In the West Bank city of Ramallah, Israeli forces shot dead three Palestinians, including a man accompanying his wife after she had given birth, Palestinian witnesses and medical officials said.
Powell, who began his trip in Morocco, received a chilly reception from King Mohammed, who asked him why he had not begun in Jerusalem.
Powell told the king he "had considered all options" and wanted a chance to consult with European Union and Arab colleagues beforehand to coordinate his mission.
Powell was expected to meet Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah in Casablanca later. He will then head to Egypt and Spoain, which currently holds the EU presidency, before meeting Isreali Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.
Sharon said at a stormy session he had promised Bush to try to end the campaign as soon as possible and floated a proposal for peace talks with "moderate" Arab leaders.
But Sharon said Israeli forces must finish dismantling a "terror infrastructure" he charged was directed by Palestinian President Yasser Arafat, under Israeli siege in Ramallah.
Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat accused Sharon of wrecking Powell`s mission, intended to end violence that has raged since Palestinians began an uprising against Israeli occupation more than 18 months ago.
"He is telling Powell don`t come because `we have finished everything... we will continue the occupation and we will not end our operations`," Erekat told Reuters.
Palestinians have accused Israel of trying to topple the Palestinian Authority and permanently reoccupy Palestinian cities in an offensive in which the army says it has killed at least 200 Palestinians in the past 10 days.
Yesterday, the army pulled out of a small town and three villages near the city of Tulkarm, witnesses and Palestinian security officials said. The army had no immediate comment on the move.
In Bethlehem, the army said gunmen fired and threw grenades from the compound of the Church of the Nativity at soldiers surrounding it and troops fired back after two Israeli border policemen were wounded. The Palestinians denied firing first.
"This is an act of indescribable barbarity," said Father David Jaeger, spokesman for custodians of Catholic sites in the Holy Land, who is currently in Rome.
Witnesses said a Palestinian policeman was shot dead at the compound of the church, built on the spot where Christians believe Jesus was born.
In Vatican City, Pope John Paul said violence in the Holy Land had escalated to "unimaginable and intolerable levels".
Two Israeli soldiers were killed in fighting in the Jenin refugee camp and two Palestinian policemen were found dead inside a building after an Israeli-imposed curfew was lifted in Ramallah.
Fighting continued in Nablus, the largest Palestinian-ruled city in the West Bank, where cars crushed by tanks littered the streets and the stench of tear gas hung in the air.
Sharon told parliament the military would withdraw to buffer zones between Israel and the West Bank when the offensive eventually ended. He gave no details.
Sharon said Israeli forces had arrested more than 1,500 Palestinians suspected of involvement in attacks on Israelis.
He said he was ready to meet "moderate and responsible" Arab leaders for talks on peace. Arab analysts said the offer was unlikely to win any takers while the offensive continued.
Israel sent troops and tanks into Palestinian cities on March 29 after a suicide bombing that killed 27 people at the start of the Jewish Passover holiday.
At least 1,233 Palestinians and 422 Israelis have been killed since the Palestinian uprising began 18 months ago.