West Bank building freeze to continue in practice, if not officially
Source close to Palestinian Authority president says from PA's perspective, what matters is not Israel's declarations but the moratorium's implementation on the ground.
By Akiva EldarThe agreement beginning to take shape on the settlement construction freeze is based on an "unspoken understanding" that security authorities will not sign new building permits, but the government will not issue a formal resolution extending the freeze. Furthermore, a review found that the building moratorium is due to expire on September 30, not September 26, as previously thought.
A source close to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas told Haaretz on Tuesday that from the PA's perspective, what mattered was not Israel's declarations but the moratorium's implementation on the ground.
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Settlers rebuilding the Migron outpost in the West Bank after it was demolished by the IDF, April 27, 2010. |
| Photo by: AP |
The same source told Haaretz that the PA intends to make clear in the direct negotiations with Israel that it will not agree to complete demilitarization of the territories, as this was a condition no sovereign state could accept. However, the Palestinians would agree to have international forces positioned in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, with a wider mandate than that of the UNIFIL peacekeeping force in South Lebanon.
Meanwhile, a report released on Tuesday by the International Crisis Group on "The Palestinian Security Reform in the West Bank" said a collapse of negotiations and the hope for an agreement will make it very difficult for the Palestinian security forces to continue their work. The group noted that Israeli security officials have recently praised the Palestinian security forces' activities, especially in curbing anti-Israeli activities and clamping down on Hamas. Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi is quoted by the group as saying, "The more the Palestinian security forces do, the less we have to do."
The report notes the Palestinian Authority closed down some 200 Hamas-affiliated institutions and fired thousands of teachers and imams. However, the PA is waging its battle against Hamas-led opposition without judicial warrants and in blatant violation of the Palestinian constitution, the report said.
A Palestinian expert is quoted as saying that every raid and every fired Hamas man and every charity closed reduces the chances of internal Palestinian reconciliation. The report goes on to conclude that such developments weaken the PA's legitimacy as representative of the Palestinian people in negotiations with Israel.
ICG recommends that the PA improves its approach to human rights and releases prisoners held without proof of any crime. It warns that there should be no illusion that in the current set of circumstances, many if not most Palestinians would see any steps taken to bolster the Palestinian security forces as aimed at entrenching, rather than ending the occupation. The report is based on a wide selection of interviews with senior officials in the West Bank security organizations, senior Hamas functionaries and Israeli security officials.
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Good tit for tat. Keep that formula up, and we may, despite all odds, arrive close to peace.
This issue is particularly revealing of elements in Netanyahu's personality. First, a basic principle. If you are discussing with another side sharing the land (or a pizza), it cannot be done while one party keeps devouring the land (or the pizza). Some form of a freeze is obviously a necessary condition for peace talks. If this thought did not occur to netanyahu on his own, he could have gotten a clue from the fact that the Roadmap included a freeze in the FIRST phase. This is basic. What decision did the Netanyahu government take? 1. The freeze applies to outside the current line of buildings, not to building WITHIN the currently built area. 2. The freeze will last for only 10 months. 3. The freeze will not be renewed. What do these elements indicate? The first element shows that Netanyahu has some sense of realism, and understands that a territorial exchange is acceptable to the Palestinians, so he takes advantage of it. The two other points are clearly unreal. Was it conceivable that the talks will be concluded in only 10 months? Would the Palestinians even conceive of talking peace with no freezing? I think Netanyahu has enough realism to realize that, but since he was dealing with his right wing partners Lieberman and most of Likud members, he decided to deceive them for now, present a nicer picture, and when the time comes he would try to wriggle out of it. All this shows Netanyahu as a creature of pressure; when pressured he acts, many times deceptively. Ultimately, he is not a courageous leader. He did not fight out the good fight then. Now he will pay some extra political cost for cheating his followers.
The freeze that never was, according to the Israeli building industry.
and no we wont deny it or admit it. How many decades is this scam good for???. Does Israel have a ministry for "silly excuses".
Methinks he doth protest too much.
The "freeze" was official but had no effect in practice. Soon, it will not be official any more, and will have no effect in practice. Eveything change !
The anti-Hamas activity might well be against the Palestinian Constitution. But it would be well to remember that that document, actually called the Basic Law, was rewritten by the Sharon and Bush governments and then forced down the PA's throat when Arafat was still alive. The Basic Law can again be rewritten, but it will have to wait for Palestinian elections. Those will have to wait until after they can be held without interference or annulment as happened with the last elections. A shame that elections can't be held. It might reinforce Abbas' slim mandate. But with the shadow of annulment, how is it possible to have free or fair elections?
there are already over 6,000(!) housing units that are going up the second the freeze is over. they've already been approved so there's no way to stop them. israel's planned this since the beginning i suppose, absolves itself of all personal responsibility even though its practices have led to this.
The Settlers are violating the freeze in areas of the west bank controlled by the IDF. Some Hamas thugs murdered Israelis within areas of the west bank controlled by the IDF. The PA has arrested those who committed the murder, even though the crimes were committed outside it's jurisdiction. Netanyahu pretends the settlers are not building and refuses to stop them, even though they are within the jurisdiction of the IDF which notionally is under his control. Netanyahu pretends that the settlers are not building. Would he settle for the PA pretending that the murder of the settlers was not committed by Palestinians? Abbas is clearly a more courageous man than Netanyahu.
Howdy Mark, One can only assume that both parties are courageous, not to forget the Obama Administration and Ms.Clinton, who has personally staked her political future on the above peace talks. PM Netanyahu together with DM Barak know the score. Strange enough, so do both of us. We also know that the coalition government is fractured, in fact I believe that its permanent. The official freeze may well become defrosted shortly. Have a nice day.
So now settlement construction gains "ambiguity"?
It's not settlements. It's reclamation by Israel. They are just taking back what was theirs from the beginning.
What a joke.
Freeze is over, fini ! From now on its build, build build ! You don't have to accept it but you will get used to it. Israel has its own ' Manifest Destiny' to expand far beyond her borders. Israel will settle all the land that was promised to Father Abraham. If it is not manifest now, it will be !
Did you notice, Mr. Ben David, that the ex-Mexicans in the "manifest destiny" state all got US nationality? If Israel settles all of the West Bank, the West Bankers will be Israelis. No other solution is possible. Beware of gaining what you wish.
and morality is not on your side. You are building on a slippery slope and it will fail leaving you with nothing nbut your arrogance.
Not so. Those West Bankers who can prove their ownership will get to stay--there are many Israeli-Arabs. The rest will move out. to make way for the Jews of Israel.