Redeployment proposals partition West Bank. Mordechai's vs Sharon
Palestine-Israel, Politics, 12/15/1997

Sunday 12/14/97

Ahead of his meeting with US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright next Thursday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he won't act recklessly with Israel's interests in order to please the Americans.

As his cabinet met on Sunday to discuss in general the shape of the final status agreement with Palestine, it became certain that the Israeli government is not going to take any decision on the scope of the upcoming redeployment of its troops in the West Bank. Political sources in Israel said Netanyahu will try to present to Secretary Albright answers to some of her questions but will refrain from drawing specific maps.

Earlier this year, when the Israeli government took the decision to sign the Hebron protocol, it immediately took another decision to build the new Jewish settlement of Har Homa on Jabal Abu Ghaneim in East Jerusalem. Now, it seems, that a price for implementing the second phase of redeployment will be opening a new strategic road that cuts through the West Bank and which involves the confiscation of more Arab lands from the Palestinians.

Israeli Defense Minister Yitzhak Mordechai and National Infrastructure Minister Ariel Sharon, who flew in a helicopter over the West Bank on Friday, had decided to propose the construction of this road, to be named Route 80, in what was obviously aimed at soothing the opposition of Jewish settlers, who had already started by Saturday night to collect signed petitions against the upcoming redeployment and are planning to launch a public campaign against what they call Israel's ³surrender to American pressure."

³Sharon must be dreaming if he believes that the Palestinians would even talk about the construction of the new road," said Palestinian chief negotiator Dr. Saeb Erekat who stressed that the idea of the Oslo Accords was basically to partition Palestine between two states and not to partition the West Bank between a Palestinian entity and Jewish settlements. ³This road," said Erekat, "is a land mine which is liable to destroy the political process. This proposal cannot even serve as part of a starting position in the negotiations. The Oslo agreements refer to the partitioning of Palestine, and not to the partitioning of the West Bank. Sharon must be dreaming to think that we will accept his proposals.²

In its Sunday session, the Israeli cabinet received copies of two different maps of Israel¹s security interests which will furnish the basis for the second phase withdrawal. The maps were presented by Mordechai and Sharon, with each trying to win the support of the ministers. Sharon argued against any territorial concessions in the West Bank, and sketched out borders and security zones which are apparently intended to prevent West Bank settlements from becoming isolated enclaves.

Sharon¹s map:
* Israel will maintain a security zone 20 kilometers wide at the border with Jordan, and a security zone 7-10 kilometers wide along the pre-1967 borders.
* Israel will maintain at least three roads which will cut through the West Bank from east to west.
* The southern part of the West Bank, extending from the area of Hebron southwards, will remain under total Israeli control.
* All of the settlements will be incorporated within security zones maintained by Israel, and will not be isolated or cut-off.
* Water sources will be under Israeli control.

Mordechai¹s map:
* Israel will maintain a 10 km-wide security zone along the border with Jordan, and a security zone of 5-7 kilometers wide along the pre-1967 borders.
* Israel will maintain roads in the West Bank, according to a map of security interests.
* The settlements are supposed to remain within Israeli control, though some of them will be isolated enclaves.
* According to one of the alternatives to be presented by the security establishment, there is a possibility that Israel will withdraw from some areas south of the West Bank.
* Water sources to remain under Israeli control.

Meanwhile, US diplomacy has shifted towards influencing Sharon, who is now being seen as a player of a pivotal role in the Israeli government. Undersecretary of State Martin Indyk met Saturday night with Ariel Sharon at the latter's ranch, hours after he had already met with Palestinian President Yasser Arafat. Indyk's meeting with Netanyahu on Sunday was also seen as an important step before the Israeli prime minister heads for his meeting with Secretary Albright next Thursday.

Indyk is being seen by close aides to Netanyahu, and possibly by the prime minister himself, as a driving force behind the US pressure on Israel. Officials close to Netanyahu claim that Indyk, formerly US ambassador to Israel, ³cannot forgive Netanyahu, who won in the elections, despite his efforts to secure Peres¹ election.² After his meeting with Indyk, Arafat stated Saturday that he was an "optimistic and pragmatic man, and I believe that the peace process will continue.²

Previous Stories:
  No plans defined for redeployment, intelligence report Sunday   (12/12/1997)
  US wants greater redeployment   (12/8/1997)
  Redeployment: Israel is slow and dragging its feet   (12/2/1997)

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