DATE= 04/19/02

TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT

TITLE=CQ ISRAEL / PALESTINIANS (S)

NUMBER=2-288900

BYLINE=ROSS DUNN

DATELINE= JERUSALEM

CONTENT=

/// RE-RUNNING TO FIX TYPO IN INTRO

INTRO: Israel says it has completed its withdrawal from the West Bank town of Jenin and the refugee camp there. The pull-out came one day after a U-N envoy visited the camp and described the situation there "as horrific beyond belief." Ross Dunn in Jerusalem has more on the story.

TEXT: Israeli troops pulled out of Jenin and its refugee camp Friday. In recent days the town had been the scene of heavy fighting between soldiers and Palestinian gunmen.

The Israeli troops have retreated only to the outskirts and appear poised to return on short notice.

The Israeli Army says the troops are encircling both the city and the camp in what is described as an effort to prevent Palestinian terrorists from leaving the area to launch attacks against the Jewish State.

The pull-back came as United Nations Secretary-General, Kofi Annan, called for a multi-national peace-keeping force in the Middle East, an idea Israel has rejected.

Israeli forces are also preparing to withdraw from Nablus also in the West Bank but are set to remain stationed outside Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat's West Bank headquarters in Ramallah. (signed)

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