The Israeli Prime Minister, Mr Benjamin Netanyahu, held a special cabinet debate yesterday on rival West Bank withdrawal plans, reportedly including a proposal that would isolate many Jewish settlements in Palestinian-ruled areas.
Mr Netanyahu said he would bring the proposals, which outline Israeli demands in future negotiations on a permanent peace settlement with the Palestinians, to talks tomorrow in Paris with the US Secretary of State, Ms Madeleine Albright.
He stressed that no decision would be taken on Israel's final-status requirements or the scope of an overdue interim troop withdrawal before mid-January.
"I imagine there will be certain progress [with Albright] but it's too early to say," Mr Netanyahu told Israel radio.
Israel news media reports said the government proposals being debated would entail a transfer to the Palestinians of about 10 per cent of the West Bank prior to the start of negotiations on a final peace agreement that must set down the permanent share-out of the occupied territories.
In the current debate on Israel's final-status stand, the Haaretz newspaper reported yesterday that Mr Netanyahu was leaning towards proposals by the Defence Minister, Mr Yitzhak Mordechai.
The plan would reportedly keep 52.2 per cent of the West Bank under Israeli control.
It would, however, place 42 out of the 144 Jewish settlements in areas surrounded by Palestinian-ruled land.
Meanwhile, a Jewish Israeli woman reneged on an agreement yesterday with a Palestinian Muslim over the burial of the man they had both wed, preventing his funeral two weeks after his death, judicial officials said.
Shawkat Aref Quzaa was born to a Muslim family in east Jerusalem but after living for 30 years with an Israeli Jew he converted to Judaism and married the woman, Ms Jaqueline Ben Avraham.
The couple separated shortly after the marriage and Mr Quzaa went back to Islam and married a Muslim woman from Hebron, Ms Hiyyam al-Hujjah.
After Mr Quzaa's death at the age of 56, the two wives battled over whether he would be buried in a Jewish or Muslim cemetery.
The argument reached Israel's supreme court but before it could issue a ruling, the women reached a compromise agreement that he be buried yesterday in a Muslim cemetery plot near a Jewish cemetery in the northern city of Haifa.
But Ms Ben Avraham backed down on the agreement at the last minute.
In Cairo, Egyptian and Israeli religious leaders have condemned terrorism and exchanged promises to use their spiritual authority to promote moderation on both sides of the Middle East peace divide.
The common ground was reached at an unprecedented meeting on Monday between Sheikh Mohamed Sayyed Tantawi, Grand Sheikh of AlAzhar, the most respected Sunni Muslim seat of learning, and Israel's Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi, Dr Yisrael Meir Lau.
Sheikh Tantawi said in remarks published yesterday that he had asked Dr Lau to advise Mr Netanyahu to change what he called his anti-peace stance.
He said Dr Lau had in turn asked him to use his influence with Palestinian leaders to avoid hardline positions.