By Amira Hass Ha'aretz Correspondent and Agencies Ha'aretz 2 July 2000

[IMRA: The reference in the article to Attorney General Elyakim Rubinstein's
observations concerning the application of UN Resolutions 242 and 338 to
the Israeli-PA negotiations reflects the general confusion over what he
said.Ha'aretz: Arafat signs order restricting departure of PA officials from PA territories starting August 3

By Amira Hass Ha'aretz Correspondent and Agencies Ha'aretz 2 July 2000

[IMRA: The reference in the article to Attorney General Elyakim Rubinstein's
observations concerning the application of UN Resolutions 242 and 338 to
the Israeli-PA negotiations reflects the general confusion over what he
said. As Rubinstein repeated this morning on Israel Radio, 242 and 338
certainly apply to the Israeli-PA negotiations but in sharp contrast to the
situation with Syria, Jordan and Egypt, there was no "recognized" border
between Israel and the Palestinians at any time - just ceasefire lines.
This lack of a "recognized" border is not because the negotiations are with
the Palestinains instead of the Jordanians - the border between Mandatory
Palestine and Jordan in the Jordan River. It is also noteworthy that the
U.S. has been careful to decline to correct the Arab claim that 242 calls
for complete withdrawal.

Preparing for a unilateral statehood declaration, Palestinian Authority
Chairman Yasser Arafat signed an order late last week restricting the
departures of top PA officials as of next month, Ha'aretz learned from a
ranking Palestine Liberation Organization member.

Starting August 3, top PA officials will not be allowed to leave PA
territories unless Arafat himself personally approves special departure
requests. Several PA officials have thus been compelled to decline
invitations to take part in conferences and other overseas events in August
and afterward.

Arafat's no-travel order attests to stepped-up preparations in the PA, as
the September 13 target date nears. Palestinian leaders have vowed that they
will declare the conclusion of the interim phase on that date.

Anticipating that a unilateral statehood declaration in September will
precipitate violent clashes and perhaps punitive Israeli measures, Arafat
wants his top officials to stay close by.

During the September 1996 clashes resulting from the Western Wall tunnel
controversy, some Palestinians charged that top PA officials and their
family members hastily left the country. Among other things, Arafat's
no-travel order is meant to forestall such occurrences.

But the ranking PLO source insists that Arfat's order is designed primarily
to reinforce his intention to declare the establishment of a Palestinian
state, no matter what.

The 120 members of the PLO's Central Council will meet today and tomorrow in
the Gaza Strip, partly with the aim of setting a date for the statehood
declaration.

Speaking on the statehood issue, a top PA final status negotiator, Hassan
Asfour, told Reuters: "We have the basis of a state. The only thing we lack
is an army - and we don't want an army in the future in any case."

As Arafat, other PA officials and the PLO pave the way for a statehood
declaration, both the Palestinians and the Americans have closed ranks,
disputing an Israeli interpretation that UN resolutions do not require
Israeli withdrawal from the territories.

Last Thursday, Attorney General Elyakim Rubinstein argued that UN
Resolutions 242 and 338 do not apply to Israeli-PA negotiations, since they
were passed more than 25 years before the establishment of the Palestinian
Authority.

A day later, the PA cabinet devoted an ample part of its weekly meeting to
Rubinstein's pronouncement. In an official statement issued in Ramallah
Friday evening, Arafat sharply denounced "this dangerous Israeli position."
He charged that Israel is showing contempt for international law and UN
decisions; by distancing itself from the UN resolutions, Arafat stated,
"Israel is making an effort to thwart the whole peace process." The PA
leadership dispatched urgent letters to the UN and various countries,
calling on them to force Israel to comply with binding international
decisions.

Also rejecting Rubinstein's position, the United States reiterated its
stance that UN Resolution 242 applies to negotiations between Israel and the
Palestinians. "For 30 years, resolutions 242 and 338 have determined the way
in which the U.S. addresses Middle East issues," a State Department
spokesman said. "As we see it, all negotiations between Israel and the
Arabs, including talks between Israelis and Palestinians, must be based on
these resolutions.