NPR's Eric Weiner reports from Jerusalem that after the intercession of King Hussein and the threat that the US mediator Denis Ross would pack up and go home, Palestinian and Israeli negotiators are finally close to signing an agreement for the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Hebron. But what was held up the talks is not so much reaching an agreement on how the withdrawal should be handled. The real concern appears to be getting a commitment to time tables for further Israeli withdrawals in the next year from the occupied West Bank countryside.
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