CIA chief meets with Israel leader Sharon

Some Israelis say Sharon should drop policy of restraint

JERUSALEM (CNN) -- CIA Director George Tenet met Thursday morning with Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon as he tried to shore up a fragile cease-fire between Israelis and Palestinians.

After the meeting, the office of Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres issued a terse statement saying Sharon told Tenet of "Israel's demands for a cessation of violence and terror and incitement which has not ceased."

The statement said top Israeli security officials also attended the meeting.

Israel Radio quoted Palestinian security sources as saying a security meeting chaired by Tenet is scheduled for Friday in Cairo, Egypt.

The radio said that Jibril Rajoub and Mohammed Dahlan, heads of Palestinian Preventive Security Service in the West Bank and Gaza, as well as Shin Bet chief Avi Dichter and senior Israel Defense Forces officials will attend the meeting. Shin Bet is Israel's security service.

Sharon declared a unilateral cease-fire on May 22. Last Sunday, Palestinian Authority President Yasser Arafat said he would suspend hostilities against targets in Israel. Arafat's declaration came after a suicide bomber killed 20 Israelis at a Tel Aviv nightclub.

The United States has been pushing both sides to implement the recommendations of the Mitchell committee, an international and independent panel headed by former U.S. Sen. George Mitchell. The committee report called for a cessation of hostilities on both sides, a series of confidence-building measures and an eventual return to peace negotiations. (More on the Mitchell report)

VIDEO CNN's Ben Wedeman reports on efforts to keep the cease-fire on Gaza borders (June 9) Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media) CNN's Jerrold Kessel reports on the politics that threaten the delicate cease-fire in the Middle East (June 6) Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media)

Depending on Tenet's success, William Burns -- the U.S. point man in the region -- may return for more talks, U.S. sources said.

The Mitchell report called on the Palestinians to crack down on what it called "terrorism." Israel has been pressing Arafat to re-arrest certain members of Muslim fundamentalist groups Islamic Jihad and Hamas.

The Jerusalem daily newspaper Ha'aretz quoted Rajoub as saying the Palestinian Authority will not re-arrest 34 Hamas and Jihad activists that Israel has asked be taken into custody.

The proposed arrests are expected to be a key point of discussion when Tenet meets with Sharon.

The Mitchell report also called for a freeze on Israeli settlement activity. A U.S. State Department spokesman denied on Wednesday that the United States is in discussions with Israel on the terms of a freeze.

However, the Israeli media carried reports that Israel had offered to agree to no new settlements plus restricting construction to the confines of existing settlements and agreeing not to take any more Palestinian-owned land for settlements.

Up until now, Israeli officials have said the "natural growth" of existing settlements must be accommodated.

On the ground, Israeli officials said three Israelis were hurt early Thursday when their car was attacked near Ramallah in the West Bank.

Also at Ramallah, several Palestinian students were hurt during a demonstration at an Israeli roadblock the students say is preventing them from reaching their university.

Late Wednesday, a crowd estimated at around 25,000 attended a right-wing rally in Jerusalem's Zion Square. Speakers standing beneath a banner reading, "We must beat Arafat," urged the Sharon government to abandon its policy of restraint in response to attacks against Israelis.