Key questions unanswered, say Palestinians

By Kesava Menon

MANAMA (BAHRAIN), OCT. 4. If the Israeli and Palestinians have both reacted somewhat coolly to the U.S. President, Mr. George W. Bush's endorsement in principle of the idea of Palestinian Statehood there are several reasons. They have heard or seen strong indications of U.S. thinking on these lines before and they also know that current U.S. posturing on the Israel- Palestine dispute is a side-show to the main effort that the Bush administration has currently embarked upon.

A couple of days ago Mr. Bush said the creation of a Palestinian State was included in the vision the administration had of West Asia's future. Mr. Bush made this remark when asked to comment on a report in The New York Times that the administration was about to make a declaration on these lines prior to the September 11 terrorist strikes and that the Secretary of State, Gen. Colin Powell would present a broad plan for West Asian peace to the U.N. General Assembly. As expected, the Palestinians have welcomed Mr. Bush's comment but several of their officials have pointed out that key questions have not been answered.

Several Israeli commentators have made much of the fact that Mr. Bush has been the first Republican President to declare in favour of Palestinian Statehood. But this seems to be the only really newsworthy part of the episode. The former U.S. President, Mr. Bill Clinton had stopped just short of recognising Palestinian Statehood when he addressed the Palestinian National Assembly in Gaza a couple of years ago. Moreover, even Israel's hawkish Prime Minister, Mr. Ariel Sharon, has recently said that he will countenance the formation of a Palestinian State, albeit under certain circumstances.

For the Palestinians the main question is about the boundaries that the Bush administration envisages for this State- to-be. In negotiations with Israel last year, the idea of a Palestinian State had been nearly established. But the State that they were being offered in the negotiations would never have been a viable one, split as it was into separate cantons by strips of intruding Israeli territory. As far as Statehood is concerned, the main question from the Palestinian point of view is whether the Bush administration will press Israel to offer a territorially contiguous and viable one.

Israel has recognised that Mr. Bush's comments must be read in a political context in which he is trying to ensure the support of the Arab and Muslim world in the campaign against Al Qaeda. They also take comfort in the fact that Mr. Bush spoke to Mr. Sharon over the telephone and explained that his administration's support for the idea of Palestinian Statehood was not as unequivocal as was made out in the Times report. However, Israel is worried about the extent to which the U.S. might sacrifice its (Israel's interests) in order to keep the Arab and Muslim world on the U.S. side in this campaign.

Controversial policy back

Reuters reports from Jerusalem:

Israel's security cabinet has given the army a green light to resume an internationally condemned policy of hunting and killing Palestinian militants, Israeli diplomatic sources said today.

They said the decision was taken at a cabinet meeting yesterday after Palestinian militants infiltrated the Jewish settlement of Alei Sinai in the Gaza strip, killing two Israelis. The Israeli Defence Minister, Mr. Binyamin Ben-eliezer said yesterday that Israeli forces had been authorised to take any action necessary to defend Israeli civilians and soldiers. The sources said this included what Israel calls ``targeted killings'' - a policy Palestinians brand assassination.

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Section  : International
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