Israeli army carries out withdrawals; Hamas, Islamic Jihad doubts
Palestine-Israel, Military, 7/1/2003

The Israeli army yesterday completed the implementation of most items of the security agreement on withdrawal from Gaza, as members of the Palestinian police were permitted into Rafah crossing and Salah Eddin main road was opened, while the Palestinian security forces returned back to previous positions, but accused the Israeli side of violating the agreement between the two sides by establishing a new military position on Salah Eddine road.

A Palestinian security source said that a Palestinian- Israeli security meeting was held yesterday morning in Jerusalem between Palestinian Minister of State for Security Affairs Mohammad Dahlan and Israeli coordinator of the Israeli Occupation Forces activities in the occupied territory General Amos Gilad aiming at settling pending issues concerning the implementation of items agreed upon in previous security meetings.

Following the meeting Dahlan said the Israeli army will withdraw from Bethlehem tomorrow ( Wednesday).

Meantime, a Palestinian security source said the "Israeli tanks and armored vehicles withdrew from east of Gaza as from Beit Hanoun to the north of the sector until Rafah to the south along the green line with Israel.. ( areas which used to be called the isolated areas).

Moreover, the Israeli army removed most of the main inspection points in Gaza and permitted the Palestinians the freedom of movement in Salah Eddine street which crosses Gaza, for the first time since two years.

However, a Palestinian military official said yesterday that the Israeli army installed a new military position at the martyrs ( Natsareim) crossroad to the south of Gaza, considering that a violation to what was agreed upon.

Israeli military sources stressed that Israel established the position at Natsareim crossing for using it when the Jewish settlers want to trodden this road.

Hamas and the Islamic Jihad movements doubted the objective of the withdrawal. The leading figure in Hamas Ismael Henya said that "this Israeli withdrawal from Gaza is not enough nor real." He added "we do not oppose the withdrawal of the Israeli forces from any part of our Palestinian lands. The Palestinian resistance aims at achieving that, but such a withdrawal should be real." For his part, the leading figure in the Islamic Jihad movement Muhammad al-Hindi said that the "Israeli withdrawal from Gaza is not complete," stressing "we want our lands liberated without any soldier or settler." He added "any Zionist withdrawal is in the interest of the Palestinian people."

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