Edging forward
Cairo was upbeat this week as the Palestinians and Israelis took their first steps on the path leading to peace. Soha Abdelaty reports
For weeks now Egyptian officials have been talking about an impetus that was recently given to the stalled peace process. The necessary thrust came from heavy US involvement, one manifestation of which was numerous visits by US officials to the region, which pushed the two sides to take their first steps in implementation of the roadmap.
Israel withdrew its forces from Gaza on Monday, and the city of Bethlehem yesterday, as part of a US-brokered agreement. Meetings continued between the two sides to discuss Israel's withdrawal from other cities in the West Bank, all the way to the lines of 28 September 2000 -- the day the second Intifada began. Palestinian and Israeli prime ministers, Mahmoud Abbas and Ariel Sharon, were scheduled to meet on Tuesday to discuss the roadmap's next steps, with a focus on the release of Palestinian prisoners.
On Sunday, meanwhile, three main Palestinian factions -- Hamas, Islamic Jihad and the Al-Aqsa Brigades (an offshoot of Fatah) -- agreed to cease all attacks against Israelis for a limited time. The three groups conditioned the truce on the Israeli side meeting certain demands, such as ending its targeted assassinations policy, lifting closures, ending military incursions and releasing Palestinian prisoners.
Cairo has been heavily involved in brokering the agreement. Last November, Egypt sponsored talks between the factions, and more recently, Egyptian envoys have been in Gaza talking to the groups. Palestinian Foreign Minister Nabil Shaath was in Cairo on Tuesday to convey the Palestinians' appreciation for Egyptian efforts towards cementing the deal. Shaath met with Foreign Minister Ahmed Maher, who told reporters that the two also discussed the results of US National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice's visit to the region this week, which he said was a positive reflection of the US's concerted efforts to bring about peace.
Cairo welcomed both developments in the peace process. "This is a good start towards implementing the roadmap," Maher said on Monday. "An opportunity has been provided for a continuation of the implementation of the [roadmap's] remaining obligations."
The Europeans also applauded the initiatives. President Hosni Mubarak met with the EU's special peace process envoy, Miguel Moratinos, who is on a farewell tour of the region. Moratinos told reporters afterwards that there was hope for progress on the Palestinian-Israeli track, in light of the Israeli troop withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, the eventual transfer of control there to the Palestinian Authority, and the cease-fire announced by the Palestinian factions. "All these steps pave the way for the implementation of the roadmap, as well as achieving peace in the region," Moratinos said.
Reactions from both Tel Aviv and Washington, however, to the cease-fire agreement, were more reserved. The Israeli side dismissed the agreement altogether, and in particular, the demands made by the factions on Israel. "The cease-fire agreement (with the militants) was not reached with Israel,'' Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom said Monday. "Since we are not party to it, its conditions are none of our business.'' Diplomatic sources are undermining the significance of Israel's rebuff, arguing that this has always been Israel's position on the issue. According to Maher, "what's important is that implementation has begun. There are Israeli withdrawals that are set to continue. This matter is encouraging."
Both Israel and the US are also arguing that part of the Palestinian Authority's (PA) obligations based on the roadmap include actually dismantling these groups altogether. "It is not just a cease-fire we need," US Secretary of State Colin Powell said Monday. "It is time for all terrorist organisations to be abolished, to give up that capability. And I believe that Prime Minister Abbas understands that if he is going to have a state, a Palestinian state, then all militias and all organisations with the capacity to conduct terrorist activities have to be dismantled. All arms have to be under the power of the state, not under the power of terrorist organisations that are not answerable to the state."
Although the roadmap does not contain an outright call for the dismantling of these groups, it does call for "the dismantling of terrorist capabilities and infrastructure." Diplomatic sources pointed out that the ambiguity of the statement could buy some time for the Palestinian side before they decide what to do regarding the fulfillment of that demand. "The PA can't dismantle these groups now -- it would cause a civil war," said one source. "The American side has not completely rejected the agreement, so we just have to wait and see how events unfold," the source added.
"Every side has their demands," Maher said at the beginning of the week. "But we support whatever can achieve a resolution." Maher said that what matters is the end goal, the implementation of the roadmap, and not how to get there.
Observers believe the PA is hoping a period of calm will allow them to gain concessions from Israel, thereby strengthening Palestinian faith in a political process. The PA would then be in a better position to collect weapons and integrate the factions into the political system. One example brought up by diplomatic sources is Hamas, which has many social and political activities, and can actually become part of a political system.
So far, however, the US seems to reject that idea. "If it is a terrorist organisation, it is a terrorist organisation. If it has a military wing that is killing innocent Israeli citizens, how can you separate that out from its social wing or its civilian wing?" questioned Powell on Monday.
The success of this strategy seems pinned on the hope that Israel would indeed continue with its obligations vis-à- vis the roadmap. "Any step (on the Palestinian side) needs to be reciprocated with a display of good will and by providing the opportunity for such positive moves (to bear fruit)," said Maher. "What's important now is to see a continuation of Israeli steps, starting with withdrawal to the 28 September lines, and enabling the PA to carry out its responsibilities in the Palestinian lands," the foreign minister added on Monday.
Neither Egypt nor the Palestinians have received any guarantees from the American side that Israel would indeed abandon some of its more controversial policies, and in particular, its policy of targeted assassinations. Israel continues to state its intention to resort to that measure when it deems necessary. "If there is another (terror) attack, they'll say it was the action of a single individual who disobeyed the leadership," Shalom said the day the cease-fire agreement was announced. "On the other hand, if we know there's some ticking bomb and we want to act against it, then they'll say that we are wrecking the cease-fire."
Nonetheless, diplomatic sources were quick to point out, Israel's definition of a "ticking-bomb" is a sticking point between Tel Aviv and Washington, and the US is unlikely to support Israeli attacks against Palestinian figures who are not literally on their way to bomb restaurants.
