Israel’s New Strategy

EVEN as Israel coerced Egypt to close its borders for the Palestinians returning from Hajj pilgrimage at Makkah to cross directly to Gaza -- avoiding the Israeli route fearing genocide from Israeli military forces, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has barred new construction work, building planning and occupancy tenders at West Bank settlements without his approval, documents show.  The move is meant to bolster U.S.-backed peace talks, soured by disputes over Jewish settlement construction, ahead of a visit by President George W. Bush early next month.

Plans for new Israeli settlements this month have drawn rare criticism from the United States, as well as the European Union, saying it could undermine Israeli-Palestinian peace efforts. Olmert had been caught off guard by a series of Housing Ministry announcements on settlements that have opened a rift in month-old peace talks with the Palestinians. The talks, launched at a U.S.-sponsored peace conference in Annapolis, Maryland, bogged down since Israel announced plans to build hundreds of new homes in an area near Jerusalem known to Israelis as Har Homa and to Palestinians as Jabal Abu Ghneim.

Olmert's office said his order applies to all settlements in the West Bank, including Maale Adumim, which Israel hopes to keep as part of any final peace deal. But officials said Olmert made clear to the Palestinians that building in Har Homa that has already been authorized can go forward. Israel considers Har Homa to be part of Jerusalem, as opposed to the West Bank.

Israel interprets its road map commitments differently, arguing that construction within built-up areas is permissible as long as no new enclaves are built and no additional occupied lands are confiscated. "This is a policy directive by the prime minister to relevant government agencies designed to ensure that the machinery of government is ready to implement Israeli obligations under the road map," Regev said.

In a December 30 letter to the ministers of defense, housing and agriculture, Olmert wrote that "construction, new building, expansion, preparation of plans, publication of residency tenders, confiscation of land stemming from other settlement activities in the (West Bank) area will not go forward and will not be implemented without requesting and receiving in advance approval by the defense minister and the prime minister." The letter does not rule out the prime minister approving construction within West Bank settlements. His spokesman, Mark Regev, said Olmert committed at talks last week with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas not to take "any actions that could prejudice a final status agreement."

The Palestinians say that the road map's explicit call for a halt to all settlement activity means all Israeli building on occupied land, including within Har Homa, is prohibited. In addition to Har Homa, Israel's Housing Ministry has announced plans for new building within Maale Adumim. Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat reiterated on Monday the Palestinians are ready to make peace if Israel freezes all settlement activity in the West Bank and Arab East Jerusalem. "Settlements and peace do not go together," he said.

Palestinians see the building of Har Homa as the last rampart in a wall of settlements encircling Arab East Jerusalem, cutting it off from the rest of the occupied West Bank. They say it is a strategic move by Israel to pre-empt any possibility of East Jerusalem becoming the Palestinian capital.

Israel is known to have violated its own directives and not many Jews take the official directives quite seriously now. They think the government’s main objective to make the Palestinians to b on the run always. Double-speak, which is the hallmark of the USA on disarmament and nuclear issue, is also the main-stay of Israeli policy in Palestine. It is awful that USA continues to shield the Israeli actions and its interests in Palestine and Middle East.

Egypt and Israeli collusion?

More than 1,000 Palestinian pilgrims, most of them are the kith and kin of those killed by Israel, stranded in Egypt have held protests after they were blocked from traveling through a border crossing to Gaza. The pilgrims returning from the Hajj in Mecca include several prominent members of the Hamas movement, who fear they will be detained if they try to travel through an Israeli-controlled crossing. They want to go home through the Rafah border crossing point. But Egypt, following an Israeli request, is insisting they use the Israeli-controlled Aouja crossing.

A 67-year-old Palestinian woman collapsed and died during the protests, reports said. The Palestinian Authority, Israel and Egypt have been trying to isolate Gaza since Hamas seized control of the territory by force in June. In early December, Israel allowed some 2,200 Palestinian pilgrims to leave Gaza through the Rafah border-post. Egyptian authorities have moved more than 1,100 of the pilgrims to several temporary camps set up in and around the Mediterranean coastal city of el-Arish.

The pilgrims broke windows and started fires to protest against the decision to move them to a temporary camp. Reports say the pilgrims shouted slogans against Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, who recently held talks with Israeli leader Ehud Barak in Cairo on Hamas. Hundreds of riot police surrounded the protesters, while the fires were put out. After the unrest ended, some pilgrims continued their protest by refusing to accept meals provided by the Egyptian government.

It should be noted Egypt apparently colluded with the UK and its allies in securing the establishment of Israel in 1948 against the genuine interests of the Palestinians. Analysts say the dispute is embarrassing for Egypt, which does not want to be seen increasing the misery of Gaza residents. Israel has insisted that the pilgrims must return to the Gaza Strip through Rafah crossing that it controls. It says it wants to ensure that no weapons or money are being channeled to militant groups.

It is terribly unfortunately that African Egypt, a Muslim country in Middle East, playing second fiddle to Israeli interests against the Palestinians. Israel policy is likely to remain unchanged so long as countries like Egypt continue to support the Israeli interests in Middle East, while UK and USA, the key players in the conflict, refuse to disarm Israel. 

Dr.Abdul Ruff Colachal is a Researcher, Analyst & Columnist based in India