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"Sharon's withdrawal from the Gaza Strip is a smokescreen, because he is consolidating settlement activity in WB," said Ashrawi.
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Some
Palestinian politicians fear a "Gaza first, Gaza last"
scenario whereby Israel hands back the small territory in exchange for
permanent control over the West Bank and Al-Quds.
"Sharon's
withdrawal from the Gaza Strip is a smokescreen, because he is
consolidating settlement activity in the West Bank and completely
modifying the demographic and cultural make-up of Al-Quds,"
Palestinian MP Hanan Ashrawi told AFP.
She
argued, like many observers and much of Palestinian public opinion,
that leaving Gaza is a small price to pay by Israel if it entails a
free hand to tighten its grip on the rest of the occupied territories.
"The
Gaza Strip was a demographic and security burden for Israel. By
withdrawing from it unilaterally, Sharon is turning it into a large
prison and imposes on us a long transition period," said the
former minister.
Khalil
Tufakji, a Palestinian expert on settlements, asserted that Sharon
"has not stopped expanding the settlements in the region of
Al-Quds since he announced the Gaza withdrawal plan" around 18
months ago.
Among
the projects which have emerged in recent months was a plan to build
3,500 extra houses in the settlement of Maale Adumim, the largest of
all West Bank settlements and which lies just outside Al-Quds.
"The
Gaza withdrawal plan is in reality a scheme designed to expand the
West Bank settlements and to divide up the territory into islands
under Israeli control," added Tufakji.
Israel
has also sped up construction of its separation wall, looping deep
into the West Bank to take in settlement blocs.
The
Gaza withdrawal also aims to ensure a Jewish majority in the occupied
West Bank, according to a study published in Israel’s Haaretz
newspaper.
Sharon
has been selling the Gaza pullout to hostile domestic opinion by
stressing that he obtained US guarantees that large settlement blocs
in the West Bank would never be threatened by final status
negotiations with the Palestinians.
Further
fuelling Palestinian fears, he ruled out in an interview last week any
concessions on the major West Bank settlement blocs, Al-Quds and the
Palestinian refugees.
Al-Aqsa
Rally
Meanwhile,
Palestinian Mufti Ekremah Sabri called during Friday prayers for a
mass mobilization Sunday, August 14, at Al-Aqsa mosque compound to
foil a planned assault by extremist Jews.
"Extremist
Jews are threatening an aggression against Al-Aqsa" Sunday,
Sheikh Sabri told worshipers at Islam's third holiest shrine.
"I
am reminding you that we all have to head to Al-Aqsa Sunday because
the Jews have announced they will take it over. It is every Muslim's
duty to go to Al-Aqsa because it is under threat," he added.
The
thousands of Muslim worshipers who attended the prayers vowed to
"protect Al-Aqsa against any aggression."
Jewish
extremists are reportedly planning to force their way into the mosque
compound, to commemorate Tisha B'Av, a Jewish holiday marking the
alleged destruction of the first and second Jewish temples.
Jews
claim that their alleged Haykal (Temple of Solomon) exists underneath
Al-Haram Al-Sharif, which includes Al-Aqsa Mosque, the first qiblah
(direction Muslims take during prayers).
