ISRAEL PULLS BACK IN GAZA AND WEST BANK

IDF Halts Offensive Operations in Gaza - Amos Harel and Yair Ettinger
IDF Chief of Staff Moshe Ya'alon Friday froze all offensive operations in the Gaza Strip, where Palestinians have resumed responsibility for security in areas under their control. PA security forces finished deploying in the southern part of the Gaza Strip on Friday. (Ha'aretz)

Israel to Transfer West Bank Cities - Margot Dudkevitch
PA security officials said there is a plan to deploy on Wednesday in Ramallah, Tulkarm, Kalkilya, Jericho, and Bethlehem. However, the heavy influence of Hizballah and Iran on terror groups in Nablus, Jenin, and Hebron will delay the transfer of those cities. (Jerusalem Post)

BUT THAT'S NOT ENOUGH FOR ABU MAZEN TO EVEN BEGIN TALKING ABOUT PEACE:

Amnesty for peace?
Mahmoud Abbas reportedly will demand that Israel release all Palestinian security prisoners as a prerequisite for peace talks.

The London-based newspaper Al-Sharq Al-Awsat said Monday that the Palestinian Authority president, who is expected to meet Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon for their first summit next month, also wants Israel to withdraw its troops to the positions they held before the intifada began in September 2000. Abbas has earned plaudits in Jerusalem and Washington for reining in violence in the Gaza Strip, although his truce talks with Palestinian terrorist groups fell short of the crackdown the Palestinians promised under the U.S.-led “road map” peace plan.

Under the plan, Israel must free Palestinian prisoners who were not directly involved in terrorism — a much smaller number than the 8,000 releases Abbas reportedly seeks, which effectively would be a general amnesty. Israeli officials did not immediately comment on the report.