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Israel Softens On Arafat, Refuses UN Mission Into Jenin
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An Israeli soldier looks back from atop a tank inside Arafat's besieged compound |
JERUSALEM, April 28 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) – In a move, seen by analysts, as designed to avoid world criticism over its refusal to cooperate with the UN fact-finding mission, set to investigate war crimes in Jenin refugee camp, Israel declared its approval of a U.S. proposal to free besieged Palestinian President Yasser Arafat.
The White House said Sunday that Israel would lift its siege on Arafat, accepting a U.S. proposal to place wanted Palestinians in the custody of international guards.
“The president welcomes the constructive and helpful decision by the government of Israel to enable Arafat to travel freely, to accept international monitors with respect to ... prisoners now in Arafat's compound and to withdraw Israeli forces from Ramallah," the White House added, reported Agence-France Presse (AFP).
The Israeli cabinet voted to accept the deal advanced by U.S. President George Bush that would put wanted activists holed up in Arafat's Ramallah office under U.S. or British guard in a Palestinian jail.
Analysts Sunday voiced their doubts over a possible “deal” to get out of the current impasse. They believe the conditions of the deal are to refuse cooperation with the UN mission and avoid world criticism, meanwhile, through promising to set Arafat free.
Observers fear such a deal will give the Israelis the chance to get away with their massacres and war crimes in the Jenin refugee camp and elsewhere in the Palestinian West Bank.
Dr. Ahmed Thabit, Political science Teacher at Cairo University, told IslamOnline, “This deal’s main purpose is to divert world attention from war crimes committed by the Israeli occupation army in the Palestinian territories, at the orders of Sharon.
“The U.S., Israel and some Arab regimes demanded that Arafat sets exceptional courts to try Oslo opponents among the Palestinians and members of resistance groups. So, to accept such a deal means positive response to that specific demand.
“This will open the door wide open for trials of the sort to follow, at a time Sharon and his officers are supposed to be tried for war crimes and crimes against humanity. Marwan Barghouthi, for example, could be tried under such understanding.
Thabit added that the U.S. seeks to apply its own rules of fighting terrorism to Palestinian activists, ignoring Geneva convictions that regulate the relation between civilians under occupation and the occupying forces.
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| Israeli army vehicles move inside Arafat's compound in Ramallah |
Colonel Mohammed Dahlan, the Gaza Strip Palestinian Security Chief, said Palestinians were prepared to discuss the proposal but were not ready to hand over wanted militants sheltered in Arafat's offices in Ramallah.
Dahlan told AFP: "We have always made our position clear on this issue, that we would refuse to hand them [the wanted men] over and we will refuse to take them to trial somewhere outside Palestine." "Other than that, we are ready to discuss any proposal," he said.
The Israeli cabinet voted 17-9 in favor of the scheme after Bush telephoned Prime Minister Ariel Sharon during the cabinet meeting to lobby for the proposal that would end the month-long blockade at Arafat's battered compound.
Bush proposed the idea in an initial phone call to Sharon on Saturday followed up by a letter from Secretary of State Colin Powell. Sharon agreed to travel to Washington for further discussions but no exact date was set.
Israel kept up its siege while demanding custody of four men inside Arafat's office who are wanted in the murder of Israel's tourism minister last October. A Palestinian court sentenced the four to jail terms last week.
And in another hard-line stance, the Israeli cabinet voted Sunday to refuse cooperation with a UN fact-finding mission, charged with visiting the devastated Palestinian refugee camp of Jenin, and warned it would try to block any visit by the team, Israeli army radio said.
The vote came after a marathon cabinet meeting to discuss whether to give the green light to the UN mission, despite Sharon's proposal of a 24-hour delay on any decision.
Earlier Sunday, Sharon proposed a 24-hour delay for a decision on whether to allow the UN mission to visit the camp in Jenin, AFP reported.
The Israeli Radio quoted Sharon as saying that Israel was not yet satisfied with UN answers to its questions about the terms of the mission, which is waiting in Geneva for Israel's green light to visit.
The controversy over Jenin raged since the end of the aggressive Israeli military offensive there on April 12. Hundreds of civilians were brutally massacred at the camp.
With additional reporting by Hany Bishr, IOL Staff
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