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Al-Ahram Weekly 31 August - 6 September 2000 Issue No. 497 
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Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Al-Ahram Weekly 31 August - 6 September 2000 Issue No. 497
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Egypt Region International Economy Opinion Culture Travel Living Sports Profile People Time Out Chronicles Cartoons Letters A 'creative' deal?
By Dina EzzatIn the second half of September support for what officials have described as "creative" and "imaginative" Egyptian ideas on a formula to settle the dispute over the final status of Jerusalem and Muslim, Christian and Jewish holy places there could well gain momentum in Washington.
"Nothing is certain yet, because so far the parties, particularly the Israelis, will not go beyond saying that our ideas are interesting," said an Egyptian diplomatic source. But according to the same source Palestinian, Israeli, Egyptian and American officials could meet in Washington around 16 September to agree on the format of a "semi-final deal."
While Foreign Minister Amr Moussa conceded on Tuesday that a final deal within the coming few weeks was unlikely, "a substantial agreement that could be further built on," was not.
This substantial agreement is likely to have two components: the "realistic" ideas -- concerning refugees, water, settlements and security -- tentatively agreed upon at Camp David II, and a final formula incorporating Egypt's ideas for Jerusalem and its holy sites.
Some Israeli and American sources have suggested that the Egyptian ideas provide for Palestinian self-rule in areas around Jerusalem, a special status for Muslim holy sites, and international status for the old city that includes four neighbourhoods: Muslim, Christian, Armenian and Jewish.
But such suggestions, Moussa insisted on Tuesday, were "utter fabrications."
"Egypt could not be working away from the fundamentals of Arab rights. We are not doing this at all." And in statements to reporters following yesterday's meeting between President Hosni Mubarak and Arafat, Moussa rejected the suggestion that Egyptian ideas concentrated on Islamic holy sites at the expense of Palestinian rights in the rest of Arab East Jerusalem.
"These claims are baseless... There is no concession at all relating to Palestinian Arab East Jerusalem as the capital of the coming state." he said.
So what is Egypt proposing? High-ranking diplomatic sources suggested the following: East Jerusalem -- not excluding some sort of "limited" land trade-off -- will be the political capital of the would-be independent Palestinian state; Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock will fall under Palestinian sovereignty that does not deny Jews access to their prayer sites; a mutual understanding under which both the Palestinian and Israeli governments will be entitled to provide a demonstration of "guardianship" for their people in the four quarters of the old town. And, most important of all, Jerusalem will remain united: no walls or barricades will be erected between the Palestinian and Israeli parts.
"So what we are talking about is East Jerusalem as the capital of the Palestinian state and Al-Aqsa mosque under the sovereignty of the Palestinian state," commented a source who has been involved in the drafting process, which entailed several Egyptian-Palestinian, Egyptian-Israeli, and Egyptian-American consultations over the past few days. "Meanwhile," he added, "Israel will win recognition of West Jerusalem as its capital."
But what about the idea of an international presence?
"Any talk about the internationalisation of East Jerusalem is out," insisted Moussa, though, international peace-keeping forces could be present along some "borders."
So far, the Israelis have only said that these ideas are "interesting," while Egyptian diplomats engaged in the recent consultation process with the Israelis report "serious progress" in the stance of the Israelis on "core issues," particularly those related to Muslim holy sites.
Speaking in London on Tuesday after talks with his British opposite number, Israeli acting Foreign Minister Shlomo Ben Ami suggested that his government recognises the religious interest of Muslims and Palestinians in the Dome of the Rock and would "only want" them to recognise Jewish religious interests there.
According to diplomatic sources there is as yet no guarantee that Israel's prime minister will settle for these ideas, or anything close to them, within the framework of the accepted terms of international legitimacy. In Jerusalem yesterday, Barak was quoted as telling US peace envoy Dennis Ross that he still thinks Arafat is inflexible. "One cannot exclude the possibility of no deal at the end," said one source.
Also, a deal, semi-final as it may be, would not be given a final stamp of approval before both Arafat and Barak go back to their constituencies for a green light. In the case of Arafat he would need to get the support not only of the Palestinian people but also of Muslim and Arab governments.
Judging by the prevailing sentiment at the Jerusalem Committee that met at foreign ministers level earlier this week in Morocco, Arafat would be unlikely to face opposition to such a deal. Commented a high-ranking Egyptian official: "In fact, these ideas well exceed what Arafat was advised to settle for by some Arab countries. Arab and international support for Arafat's declaration of an independent Palestinian state without an agreement with Israel proved impossible. An Arab summit also proved difficult. So what options did Arafat have? And, could we have left him alone?"
