Monday, May 26, 2003
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By Atul Aneja
Ariel Sharon
By supporting the "road map" in principle, Israel has for the first time formally accepted the creation of an independent Palestinian state. The peace plan, authored by the United States along with the European Union, Russia and the United Nations as partners, envisages the creation of an independent Palestinian state by 2005 in return for an end to hostilities against Israel. According to diplomatic sources, Israel and the U.S. have been discussing behind closed doors two key conditions under which Tel Aviv would accept the plan. First, while accepting the creation of a Palestinian state, Israel has been unhappy with the 2005 deadline. From Tel Aviv's point of view, the emergence of the Palestinian state should result not from the declaration of a deadline, but as a consequence of successful negotiations with the Palestinians. Second, Israel is reportedly seeking Washington's backing for opposing the rights of Palestinian refugees to return as envisaged in a 1948 resolution of the U.N. Analysts point out that Israel, aware of its demographic consequences, would simply not accept the return of the Palestinians refugees to its mainland. Some in the Israeli Cabinet are therefore working on a formulation that could permit the return of the displaced Palestinians only to Palestinian territories slated for statehood, the sources said. The "road map", despite Israel's qualified support, is expected to unroll only if suicide attacks against Israeli civilians end. There is some glimmer of hope on this count. For the first time, the Hamas, an extremist Palestinian organisation that has sponsored suicide attacks, said through its spokesperson on Saturday that it would be ready to hold fire against Israeli civilians provided the Israeli troops stopped targeting it. The Hamas "ceasefire" proposal, however, would not cover either the Israeli soldiers or Israeli settlers in the Palestinian areas. This declaration followed a recent meeting between the new Palestinian Prime Minister, Mahmoud Abbas, and the Hamas. Analysts point out that the future of the "road map" would also depend on the disposition towards it by the Palestinian leader, Yasser Arafat, whom Israel and the U.S. want to sideline. Israel in the past has accused Mr. Arafat of masterminding suicide attacks through the Al Aqsa martyr's brigade belonging to the Fatah faction loyal to him. Once negotiations begin, they are expected to consider the territorial limits or boundaries of an independent Palestinian state. Questions are also likely to arise about Israeli settlements inside the "green line" or some of the Palestinian areas that the Palestinians are, at present, expected to self-govern. Sources say that the weight of the "settlers lobby" in Israeli decision-making circles is likely to discourage the Sharon administration from radically altering the status quo on settlements.
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