Israeli online daily Haaretz reported that while the Israeli Prime Minister, Ehud Olmert, is warming to evacuate the settlers who occupied the Hebron market in 2002 by force, the army was holding secret talks with them in an attempt to reach a compromised deal.Haaretz added that the talks are being carried out with the authorization of Olmert and the Israeli Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz.
Settler leaders said that they will convene on Sunday at night to decide on the deal, adding that they will respond to it on Monday.
Soldiers and policemen are preparing for the evacuation of the settlers from the Hebron wholesale market, which is scheduled to take place on Tuesday.
The Israeli TV published a report on the preparations to evacuate the settlers, the report showed soldiers practicing on evacuation techniques.
The evacuation would be delayed until Wednesday if no deal was achieved.
According to Haaretz, soldiers have been negotiating with the settlers over the past two days.
Haaretz reported that in accordance to a possible compromise, the settlers would voluntarily evacuate the stores they occupied, and the army will in exchange promise to cease leasing the market to the Hebron municipality in the future.
If this deal is reached the settlers would be able to return to the market.
Yet, a number of sticking points remained unsolved; the settlers of the illegal outpost demand that they should be allowed to return in the future. So far, the defense establishment has refused to accept this demand, and is only willing to agree that Jews could live in the occupied market in the future.
On Sunday, the Israeli army declared the area as a closed military zone, and barred entry to Jews who are not residents of the outpost.
