First Israel was supposed to hand over four cities to
Palestinian security control. Then it was reduced to Jericho
first, to be handed over on Tuesday, since there was
relatively little violence there in recent years. However
Israeli and PA officials failed to agree on a number of
issues on Monday, so there was no transfer on Tuesday.
On Tuesday the sides disagreed over whether they had agreed.
The Palestinians, in particular Saeb Erekat the main
negotiator, insisted that all the outstanding issues had been
worked out. The Prime Minister's Office said in response to
Erekat's statement that negotiations were still underway and
that no new agreement with the Palestinians had been
reached.
Things may be settled by the time our readers see this story
or they may not. In either case it calls to mind what Maran
HaRav Shach said after the Wye Agreement in 5759. He declared
that a right-wing government will give up parts of Eretz
Yisroel when the time comes, no less than the Left. In the
end, the real decision is made by the President of the United
States who can ultimately force the Israeli government to do
whatever he wants. The difference between the Right and the
Left is in the price they will exact. The Left will give up
parts of Eretz Yisroel almost unconditionally, while the
Right will negotiate stubbornly to get as much as possible in
return.
Some security officials did not rule out the possibility that
the transfer of Jericho could be delayed until some time next
week. Others said it might take place before the end of the
week.
The main issue is that the PA demanded security control of
the nearby village of Uja, which is located on the main road
that passes through the Jordan Valley. This road is used by
dozens of Israeli vehicles every day on their way to and from
the north of Israel.
The Palestinians also demanded that IDF checkpoints on the
route between Jericho and Nablus be removed. The army is
unlikely to agree to this because of the threats stemming
from the Nablus area.
"Once the PA receives control of one of the cities, the
situation will be monitored closely to ensure it is upholding
the understandings reached," one Israeli official said,
explaining that only after the results were deemed
satisfactory would Israel hand over the next city.
Initially the plan was to hand over Jericho, then move on to
Tulkarm, Kalkilya, Bethlehem and Ramallah, leaving Nablus,
Jenin and Hebron, still terror nests, until last.
The Shin Bet said that they would have preferred to delay the
transfer until after the disengagement from Gaza. "It would
have been easier to start with Gaza, as the entire area is
surrounded by a security fence, making it difficult for
terrorists to cross into Israel. We would have had more time
to monitor the situation before moving onto the cities in the
West Bank," one official said.
At a Sunday night meeting Israeli and Palestinian security
officials agreed on the principles which will be the basis
for the transfer of all the West Bank cities.
The PA security forces must combat terror, which includes
arresting suspects, putting them on trial and imprisoning
them, destroying the terror infrastructure in the city,
confiscating weapons and ending incitement against Israel.
Israel also retains the right to enter PA-controlled areas in
the event of intelligence about a planned attack which the PA
security forces have failed to act upon. Such entries would
be coordinated with the PA.
Security officials said there were no plans to resume joint
Israeli-Palestinian patrols but stressed that ongoing
security coordination and cooperation must be established.
The PA will also be required to set up a situation room
comprised of representatives from all PA security units so
that any problems can be resolved quickly.
*
The Cabinet is currently scheduled slated to approve two
decisions on the coming Sunday meeting: the evacuation of
settlements in the Gaza Strip and northern West Bank under
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's disengagement plan, and the
route of the separation fence around Gush Etzion and the
South Hebron Hills. Observers say the two issues are being
brought together to try to neutralize international criticism
of the second by coupling it with the first.
The fence route will encompass the Gush Etzion settlements,
but will follow the Green Line around the South Hebron Hills.
The route around Gush Etzion will enclose four Palestinian
villages with some 18,000 residents, plus a sizable amount of
Palestinian land in addition to the Israeli settlements.
The Knesset is expected approval of the disengagement law on
Wednesday. The proposed Cabinet resolution stipulates that
the Cabinet must reconvene before each stage of the
disengagement to approve the evacuation of each new group of
settlements, as mandated by last June's decision on the
disengagement which calls for the evacuation to take place in
four stages.
Also on Sunday, the U.S. security coordinator Lieutenant
General William Ward will arrive for a "get-acquainted" visit
to Israel and the PA. He will begin his permanent mission
here following the March 1 London conference on aid to the
PA.
*
Just 48 hours after the summit at Sharm e-Sheikh, Palestinian
terrorist groups fired more than 50 mortar shells at Jewish
settlements in the Gaza Strip. Abbas fired high-ranking PA
security commanders for failing to enforce the cease-fire.
Later Hamas, which at the time claimed responsibility for the
mortar attacks, says it accepted the cease-fire announced at
the summit.
Sharon is emphasizing two major achievements from his
perspective at the summit: All the key players, including
Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, Jordan's King Abdullah and
Abbas, now recognize that terrorism must stop before
peacemaking can begin. They also all accept Israel's plan to
withdraw from the Gaza Strip and part of the West Bank as the
basis for a new dynamic leading to peace talks based on the
road map. Previously they argued that talks should take place
even while terror continues.
The acid test, Israeli officials say, will be whether the new
Palestinian leadership can stop the terror. Israeli
government spokesman Avi Pazner maintains that this will be
possible only if Abbas confronts and disarms Hamas and
Islamic Jihad.
"Otherwise, even if he gets them to agree to a cease-fire, it
won't last. In a few days or weeks from now they will start
firing mortars or Kassam rockets again, we will react, and
we'll all be back to Square One, embroiled in a new
intifadah," Pazner said. "The militias will either have to
disarm voluntarily, or Abbas will have to take them on. There
is no other way."
