Israeli report sees crisis with Palestinians after pullout

Jerusalem (dpa) - Relations between Israel and the Palestinians are liable to "explode" after Israel's withdrawal from the Gaza Strip this summer, as the sides squabble over the next stage in negotiations, an Israeli Foreign Ministry report said.

The report, prepared by the ministry's policy research division and quoted on Israel Army Radio Tuesday morning, said that after the pullout Palestinians will insist on moving immediately to talks about a permanent settlement to the conflict, whereas Israel prefers first to negotiate an interim agreement.

The United States and the European Union are likely to support the Palestinian stand, the report said.

The report also forecast that ten Arab countries will have full diplomatic relations with Israel once the withdrawal from the 21 settlements in the Gaza Strip and four in the northern West Bank is completed.

Egypt, the first Arab country to establish open diplomatic relations with the Jewish state, is slated to send an ambassador to Israel soon, after a four-year absence prompted by the Palestinian uprising.

Jordan, which also recalled its ambassador after the outbreak of the uprising, sent a new ambassador to Israel Sunday. dpa jab mga