GAZA
CITY, Aug 6 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) - Palestinian resistance
factions Tuesday, August 6, 2002, lashed out at an Israeli proposal to
the Palestinian Authority (PA) aimed at allegedly winding down 22
months of violence, whereas the PA mulled the offer floated in the
highest-level security meeting in months.
Israeli
Defense Minister Binyamin Ben Eliezer met late Monday, August 5, with
newly appointed Palestinian Interior Minister Abdel Razaq al-Yahya,
offering an Israeli troop pullback in the Gaza Strip in return for a
Palestinian crackdown on resistance groups, reported Agence
France-Presse (AFP).
The
Islamic resistance group Hamas, the most likely object of any PA
crackdown, dismissed Ben Eliezer's proposal of Israeli troop
withdrawals to their positions in the Gaza Strip before the Intifada
erupted in September 2000.
"The
Palestinians reject this plan. Our mission is to resist the
occupation, and such a sedative plan aims to calm criticism by the
international community and gain time," said a Gaza Hamas leader,
Ismail Abu Shanab, AFP reported.
An
Islamic Jihad leader, Khaled al-Batsh, also charged the plan was an
attempt to sow seeds of civil war among the Palestinians.
Amid
loud objections from resistance activists, the Palestinian cabinet
considered the plan in Ramallah, where Arafat has his headquarters,
but said further discussions with the Israelis were needed.
Palestinian
officials said the plan could also apply to Bethlehem in the southern
West Bank if the situation there remained calm.
However,
Palestinian Information Minister Yasser Abed Rabbo doubted the
effectiveness of non-comprehensive withdrawals. "It's not logical
and not possible that a withdrawal take place in one location while in
another the killing and destruction is still going on," he said.
The
Israeli Defense Ministry said Ben Eliezer presented his idea of
"Gaza First" which would mean "the Palestinian forces
would attack terrorism and this would be followed by Israeli security
measures."
Israeli
state radio said Ben Eliezer's plan stipulated that Israel would
withdraw its forces in those places where the PA took control and
prevented attacks on Israeli targets.
The
Israeli Defense Minister first put forward his new security plan for a
return to normal life in the Gaza Strip in talks with Egyptian
President Hosni Mubarak on July 15.
Ben
Eliezer told the Israeli daily Ha’aretz his proposals would involve
a phased Israeli pullback from Palestinian areas it reoccupied since
the Intifada started in return for the Palestinians' taking charge of
security.
 |
|
Sharon has no peace plan,
Mubarak |
The
Defense Minister said he secured Mubarak's support for the plan, which
he intended to start in the Gaza Strip, and which could eventually
lead to Gazan laborers being allowed to return to jobs in Israel.
For
his part, al-Yehiyeh demanded from Ben-Eliezer that any Israeli
withdrawal from the territories begin with Ramallah - the center of
the PA and location of Yasser Arafat's headquarters.
Ben-Eliezer,
however, rejected Yehiyeh's request, telling the PA Minister that
Israel wants the withdrawal to begin with Gaza, where the PA security
apparatus remains largely intact, and to see how the Palestinians
operate. The meeting ended without an agreement and with the sides set
to continue their discussions, according to Ha’aretz.
According
to the plan, approved by Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, Israel will
transfer the security burden in those areas to the Palestinian
Authority. The plan is meant to serve as a "pilot project"
and if the Palestinians manage to prevent terror and violence in the
cities that the Israeli army vacates, it will be extended to include
other PA-controled areas.
However,
observers in the region joined forces with the Palestinian groups in
attacking the proposed plan. They even cited it as a sign of
Israel’s failure to contain the Palestinian resistance, therefore,
the plan is seen as a new Israeli tactic. According to observers,
Israel wants to drive a wedge between the PA and resistance factions,
by ordering the first to fight the latter, for the interest of
Israel’s security
