Distraction in Gaza?
Palestinians are distrustful of Sharon's intentions in Gaza, Khaled Amayreh reports from the West Bank
As the Palestinian Authority (PA) and Egypt continued to work out details of a comprehensive plan for the governance of Gaza following the prospective Israeli withdrawal, Palestinian political groups once again cautioned against "accepting at face value" the Israeli disengagement plan and giving Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon the benefit of the doubt.
The warnings came in a statement issued on Monday, probably in Damascus, and signed by virtually all Palestinian political factions, including Fatah, Hamas, the Islamic Jihad and the Popular and Democratic Fronts for the Liberation of Palestine. The statement stressed that "any Zionist withdrawal" from occupied Palestinian territory ought to be unconditional and should in no way be awarded or reciprocated with "security assurances and guarantees at our people's expense".
Moreover, the statement warned against "dangerous byproducts" of the unilateral plan, including the seizure of more Palestinian land in the West Bank, neutralising the Gaza Strip and crushing Palestinian resistance.
More significantly, the statement indirectly criticised the "security roles" of Egypt and Jordan in the disengagement plan. "We are amazed by and deplore the talk of a security role for some Arab parties in Gaza and the West Bank, because our people expect the Arab nation to act according to the logic of supporting the Palestinian people, and not the logic of security." The statement said excessive references to security would turn things upside down, giving the impression that the Palestinian people, not the Israeli occupation, are the problem.
Meanwhile, the PA sought to downplay the significance of the statement, saying it contained much platitude and many unfounded suspicions. Moreover, the Fatah leadership dissociated itself from the statement altogether, signalling that it was probably dissident or unauthorised elements within the party that signed the statement in the first place.
Meanwhile, Islamic and leftist opposition groups in Gaza, while asserting their "respect" for the "Egyptian role", expressed their support for the statement. "We are not against Egypt, Jordan or any other Arab country helping the Palestinian people. We want this help; we need it and we ask for it. However, we would like to make sure that any Arab role in this regard be utilised to serve, not undermine, the interests of the Palestinian people," a high-ranking Hamas official in Gaza told Al-Ahram Weekly.
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity for obvious security reasons, pointed out that Palestinians were "almost innately nervous about anything involving security arrangements", calling on Egypt and Jordan to understand and appreciate Palestinian feelings.
Egypt has repeatedly declared that its role in facilitating the Israeli withdrawal from the Strip would not be carried out without the full consent of all Palestinian factions. Egypt has also been pressing the various Palestinian Islamic and secular forces to reach a general agreement among themselves and with the PA on governing Gaza following the planned Israeli withdrawal.
However, Egyptian assurances to that effect have not completely allayed Palestinian fears, especially given the plethora of Israeli reports suggesting that the raison d'être of the Egyptian security role in Gaza is the decimation of Hamas.
Meanwhile, PA Prime Minister Ahmed Qurei has praised the Egyptian role, calling it a "safety net" for the Palestinian people. His remarks came in response to suggestions by some Islamic quarters in Gaza that Egypt might end up repressing the Palestinians on Israel's behalf.
This week, PA Interior Minister Hakam Balawi held extensive talks with Egyptian intelligence chief Omar Suleiman in Cairo, presenting him with a "detailed plan" for reforming and reorganising the Palestinian security agencies. According to the plan, only three security agencies would be allowed to function in Gaza, including a police force, an interior force and an external security agency. The forces would be responsible and answerable jointly to the PA government and the PA National Security Agency. However, the question of the security apparatus's ultimate reference has not yet been resolved.
During their meeting, Suleiman reportedly assured Balawi that Egypt was in no way seeking to strip Palestinian President Yasser Arafat of his powers and authority, as has been rumoured by the Israeli media. Earlier, Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Maher described Israeli reports to that effect as "nonsense". Furthermore, Egypt and the PA seem to have agreed that in return for a cessation of resistance in the Strip, Israel would have to carry out a complete and comprehensive withdrawal from the whole of the Strip.
Israel has not expressly said it will leave 100 per cent of the occupied territory and, indeed, has refrained from using the word "withdrawal" to describe its disengagement plan. In fact, some reports have suggested that the withdrawal would not cover several Israeli settlements in northern Gaza, and that the Israeli army would maintain its control of Gaza airspace, borders and territorial waters.
Moreover, Israel has not taken a final stance on digging a deep four kilometre-long moat along the border between Rafah and the Sinai Peninsula, a step that would indeed turn Gaza into what its inhabitants have so often described as a huge, sinister prison. Earlier, Israeli Chief of Staff Moshe Yaalon said a legal tender had been issued for contractors to carry out the scheme. Sharon denied Yaalon's remarks, saying that no decision in this regard had been taken and that the trench would not be dug without prior consultation with Egypt.
Predictably, Israel's ostensible desire to retain control over the estimated 1.3 million Gazans is sending shockwaves and generating many suspicions within the Palestinian community. This week, Mustafa Al- Barghouti, secretary-general of the Palestinian National Initiative, warned that Sharon was only trying to turn Gaza into "the greatest prison in the world".
Barghouti argued that Sharon's real intention was to distract the Palestinians from confronting the construction of the racist separation wall which, he said, was aimed at destroying the very possibility of creating a viable Palestinian state by effectively annexing up to 58 per cent of the West Bank. Barghouti's remarks may sound pessimistic. It is abundantly clear, however, that they are more than vindicated by "realities on the ground".
Al-Ahram Weekly Online : Located at: http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2004/696/re1.htm