The Hindu : Israel to provide relief to victims

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Jul 26, 2002

International

International

Israel to provide relief to victims

By Atul Aneja

MANAMA (BAHRAIN) July 25. Reeling under intense international pressure after the Monday night's air raid that killed several civilians, Israel is set to provide humanitarian relief to the Palestinian people.

The Israeli leadership is also hoping that such steps would prevent from snapping the recent contacts that it has established with an evolving Palestinian leadership. After enduring severe criticism from the White House and the U.S. State Department on Wednesday, Israel faced renewed pressure from Washington. The U.S. ambassador to Israel, Dan Kurtzer, said the situation in the Palestinian territories was a humanitarian disaster and urged Israel to reduce restrictions on the Palestinians and allow them greater freedom to move about in the Palestinian territories.

Israel has been discouraging people residing in Palestinian-governed towns from entering Israel for work on account of the recent suicide attacks. Besides, the Israeli army has entered most Palestinian towns in order to immobilise the network of extremists there. Mr. Kurtzer, who met the Israeli Foreign Minister, Shimon Peres, was accompanied by members of the international task force that is defining a framework of Palestinian reforms, including the drafting of a new constitution for an independent Palestinian State.

The task force, which also includes traditional donors such as Japan and Norway, is working under the international quartet on West Asia that includes the United States, Russia, European Union and the United Nations. The U.S. apparently used back-channel contacts involving Jewish Americans to convey to the Israeli Prime Minister, Ariel Sharon, the urgency of providing humanitarian relief to the Palestinians. In a bid to ease hardship, Israel has agreed to release part of the Palestinian funds that are lying frozen in its coffers following the spate of terrorist attacks.

Significantly, Israel has dropped its insistence that an international group should monitor these transfers. Israel was considering this move on the ground that the transfer of money, unless monitored, could fall into the hands of terrorist groups. Besides, Israelis have been trying to ensure that the President of the Palestinian Authority, Yasser Arafat, should not benefit from this release. But the Palestinian Finance Minister, Salim Fayad, who has worked with the IMF, is expected to unconditionally receive these funds from Israel's Finance Ministry Director, Ohad Marani.

A meeting between Mr. Sharon and his top Cabinet colleagues on Wednesday resulted in a decision to withdraw from some Palestinian towns in a phased manner.

According to media reports, curfew time in the relatively quiet Palestinian cities of Jericho, Bethlehem and Hebron is likely to be dramatically reduced. Besides, this plan includes allowing people to go to work. In case these moves succeed, the Israeli army could be gradually withdrawn from these areas.

The Gulf Cooperation Council consisting of six Persian Gulf States has sought international protection for the Palestinian people, while the Palestinian envoy to the United Nations has described the air raid as a blatant war crime that fell under the purview of the recently formed International Criminal Court.

The Cairo-based Arab League was scheduled meet later on Thursday to chart out the future course of action.

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