Palestinians Slam Israeli Threats as Counterproductive
Shaath: Sharon's Measures Would Sabotage Truce
28/02/2005

Palestine Media Center - PMC [Official PA website]
www.palestine-pmc.com/details.asp?cat=1&id=810

The Palestine National Authority (PNA) has slammed as counterproductive and
"a recipe for more violence" the Israeli Prime Minister's threats to
escalate military actions against the Palestinian people, resume
extra-judicial killings of anti-occupation activists, freeze peace contacts,
and suspend the agreed upon confidence-building measures, including
withdrawal from five Palestinian towns and releasing more detainees.

Ariel Sharon said Sunday that peace efforts with the Palestinians would be
frozen and "there will be no progress politically, and I repeat no political
progress," if they don't "carry out a determined campaign to destroy" what
he described as "the terrorist groups and their infrastructure."

He also said that Israel would be escalating military measures as his
"defense" minister Shaul Mofaz announced the resumption of extra-judicial
killing of Islamic Jihad activists.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has insisted that inter-Palestinian
dialogue is the only way to reach a national consensus on how to protect
national interests and repeatedly rejected Israeli dictates to crack down on
Palestinian factions as a recipe for infighting and civil war.

Inter-Palestinian dialogue that was scheduled in Cairo for March 5 was
postponed to March 15, Egypt's official news agency MENA reported Sunday.

Speaking after Palestinian security forces had arrested at least three men
in the West Bank in the hunt for those behind the Tel Aviv bombing on
Friday, Abbas said he remained committed to a truce with Israel and was
exchanging information with Israel, the US and Europe.

Abbas said Saturday that a "third party" was responsible for Tel Aviv
bombing.

Qurei Dismisses Sharon's Warnings

Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmad Qurei dismissed Sharon's warnings.

"If Israel wants to cut off contacts with the Palestinians, it will be its
own decision and we will not cry," Qurei told reporters. "But we say that
there is an opportunity begun in Sharm el-Sheikh and we want to develop this
effort," referring to the Abbas-Sharon summit in the Egyptian Red Sea resort
where the truce was declared on February 8.

On Saturday, Qurei also slammed Israel's decision to continue building the
illegal Jewish settlements on occupied Palestinian land as proof that Israel
was not serious about achieving peace.

The Palestinian premier said the Palestinians would not agree to an Israeli
withdrawal from the Gaza Strip "at the expense of the West Bank and
Jerusalem."

He said his Israeli counterpart's basic objective was to "swallow the West
Bank and annex Jerusalem, fooling the world, destroying the peace process
and preventing the establishment of a viable Palestinian state."

Israel's decision to build hundreds of settlers' units in Jerusalem
"confirms the Israeli government is not serious in achieving a just and
durable peace" in the region, he added.

Qurei criticized the international community's "hurry to applaud the
strategy of Ariel Sharon," insisting the latter was proposing a "unilateral
solution that he wants and does not include the references of international
legitimacy."

Shaath: Israel Reverting to Policy of Pretexts

On his part, Palestinian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Information
Nabil Shaath said Monday that the PNA is in contact on different levels with
Israel and international parties in order to avert the collapse of Sharm
el-Sheikh understandings and to protect the truce.

Responding to Israel's decision to suspend withdrawing its occupation forces
from Palestinian towns and reverting to extra-judicial killings, Shaath said
that, "these measures would sabotage the results of Sharm el-Sheikh," he
told Al-Ayyam daily.

The Israelis are using "what happened in Tel Aviv as a pretext to torpedo
all what we agreed upon in Sharm el-Sheikh. Should they revert to
assassinations they will ignite the whole cycle of violence again," he
added.

Shaath indicated that the Israeli "frantic escalation of settlement
activity" and the Israeli "procrastination" on withdrawal from Palestinian
towns "preceded the Tel Aviv bombing" on Friday.

An Israeli Recipe for More Violence, Says Khatib

Separately, Palestinian Planning Minister Ghassan Khatib told Reuters that
Sharon's threats on Sunday "would be a recipe for more violence."

Khatib added that Israeli reactions were "punishable towards the Palestinian
side (and) prove from previous experience that they are more harmful."

Israel's suspension of transferring security control of Palestinian towns to
the PNA would not serve Israeli or Palestinian interests, Khatib told Voice
of Palestine Radio.

Khatib also denied the PNA had accused Lebanon's Hizbullah guerilla group of
involvement in Tel Aviv bombing, saying the media "should be careful not to
take news related to the Palestinian side from Israeli sources."

Israeli Dictates

The Israeli Cabinet on Sunday delivered a litany of dictates to the PNA.

Addressing his cabinet in forceful tones, Sharon said that President Mahmoud
Abbas' "immediate test" was to act against Islamic Jihad, which reportedly
claimed responsibility for the first deadly Palestinian attack in Israel
since November.

"Recently, Israel has been showing restraint in order to facilitate
progress. However, it is clear that if the Palestinians do not begin to take
vigorous action against terrorism, Israel will be compelled to step up
military activity that is designed to protect the lives of Israeli
citizens," Sharon said.

At the Israeli cabinet meeting Sunday, Israel decided to suspend a plan to
turn control of five West Bank towns over to the Palestinians and free 400
more detainees in the jails of the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF). Those
confidence-building gestures were agreed upon by Abbas and Sharon in Sharm
el-Sheikh.

"Defense" Minister Shaul Mofaz told the cabinet that Israel had handed Abbas
a list of Palestinians it expected to be arrested.

"Justice" Minister Tzipi Livni said plans to release another 400 could be
halted unless Abbas moved against the anti-occupation factions.

"It was agreed (with the Palestinians) that the release of the 400 other
prisoners would be linked with their action" against what she described as
"militants," she told Israeli public television. "It's time we reminded them
of that," she added.