Israel has new scheme for Palestinian territories
Palestine-Israel, Politics, 7/29/1998

As Palestinian and Israeli negotiators resume their talks in Tel Aviv Thursday, nothing seems to have been achieved and Palestinian officials believe a breakthrough is still far from reach.

Chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat said the meetings with the Israelis over the past few days led to nothing "since Israel has failed to present any new ideas or maps on the scope of the forthcoming redeployment of Israeli troops in the West Bank." He said that before the meeting, the Israelis said they would present maps for the redeployment but "no maps were presented."

"We told the Israelis that the redeployment should transfer territories from Zone C to Zones A and B, bringing them under the geographic control of the PNA," said Erekat. He stressed that the Palestinian delegation has insisted that no change should be introduced into the original accords that were signed. He noted that the Israelis should bring answers with them to the meeting on Thursday.

Erekat was referring to the Tuesday night meeting in Tel Aviv, which he and two other Palestinian officials attended with the Israelis. Colonel Mohammed Dahlan, commander of Preventive Security in Gaza and Major General Abdul Razzak al Yihia joined Erekat in the meeting. The Israeli team included Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's special advisor Yitzhak Molcho, Cabinet secretary Dany Naveh and Daniel Rayners, legal advisor to the defense minister.

Erekat said the Palestinians have rejected all new names and terms that Israel is trying to include in any agreement on the redeployment. He was referring to the Israeli proposal of naming a new zone as Area D which, would have a status similar to that of Area B where Israel controls the security matters and the Palestinian Government enjoys control of civil affairs. "We reiterated to the Israelis our rejection of any changes in the security and civil terms of reference in the agreements and that explained to them that the Palestinian law would be applicable to any areas vacated by the Israeli troops whether they contain archeological sites, forests, national parks, nature reserves or any of the environmental sites."

Meanwhile, a Palestinian analyst said he does not see any encouraging signs to suggest a breakthrough in the stalemated peace process. Ghassan Khatib, head of the Jerusalem Media and Communications Center, a research and press services office in East Jerusalem, said that both the Palestinian Government and the Arab states need to prepare their plans on the grounds that prospects for a breakthrough in the peace talks are minimal.

"As long as positive developments are not possible, we should conclude automatically that developments of different kinds are liable to take place," warned Khatib.

Previous Stories:
  Israelis believe Palestinian state will see light, but support it less   (7/28/1998)
  No progress reached, Israelis cast inaccurate reports   (7/27/1998)
  US Jewish organization exposes East Jerusalem settler funding   (7/22/1998)

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