Sunday, Nov 30, 2003
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By Atul Aneja
Referring to the Palestinians, Mr. Sharon told a press conference on Thursday, "You do not have unlimited time," and added that if he felt that the Palestinians were not serious about a peace deal, he could take unilateral action. "Maybe, (the Palestinians) can get things now that they won't be able to get then,'' he said. The Palestinians were quick to reject Mr. Sharon's assertion. "This is an unprecedented, arrogant statement. It is rude and it lacks any vision," said the Palestinian Foreign Minister, Nabil Sha'ath. "He (Mr. Sharon) should declare that he is committed to the road map and implement all the Israeli commitments that are in this map", he said. Mr. Sharon also hinted that he might order people to withdraw from some isolated Jewish settlements. Netzarim, a heavily guarded area in Gaza, could be on the list for evacuation. Palestinian observers were, however, dismissive about such a move. Adam Shapiro, a leading peace activist of the pro-Palestinian, International Solidarity Movement told The Hindu, "Mr. Sharon has absolutely no desire to be caught in any kind of process that involves making peace, unless that peace means Israeli ascendancy and domination of land. That he might be willing to give up a settlement in Gaza should be no surprise, for why would he continue to want Israelis to live in what is basically a small, outdoor prison camp?" Mr. Sharon's exhortations seeking greater Palestinian activism comes amid three key developments, which appear to be pushing the Israeli Government on to the defensive. First, the U.S. administration has begun to show greater interest in the "track-II" Geneva initiative that will be formally unveiled in the Swiss city on Monday. The U.S. Secretary of State, Colin Powell, said on Thursday that he was willing to meet the authors of the Geneva Accords — the former Israeli minister and a key architect of the earlier Oslo accords, Yossi Beilin, and the former Palestinian Minister, Abed Rabbo. Opposing this meeting, the Israeli President, Moshe Katsav, reportedly told Israel Radio that these talks, in case they materialise, could be interpreted as a sign of U.S. support for the unofficial peace plan. The Geneva blueprint goes into details about the content of a final peace deal between the Israelis and Palestinians and addresses tough questions such as the status of Jerusalem and the rights of the Palestinian refugees to return. Second, the U.S. earlier this week, cut $289.5 millions from its $9-billion loan guarantee to Israel to signal disapproval of the construction of Israeli settlements and plans to build a security barrier that intrudes into parts of Palestinian territory. Piqued by the U.S. move, Mr. Sharon said at the press conference that the construction of the security wall would be speeded up. Third, internal opposition to Mr. Sharon's Palestinian policy has been growing in recent weeks. The Israeli Army Chief of Staff, Moshe Yaalon, publicly said recently that the Israeli approach towards Palestinians was counterproductive, while four former heads of the Israeli security service, Shin Beit, warned that the continuation of the existing policies was pushing Israel towards a "catastrophe".
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