Nothing expected from Ross's current efforts
"There is not that much to expect out of the present round of mediation efforts by the US and it seems Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wants to gain as much time as he can and not to implement the second phase redeployment in the West Bank," a reliable Palestinian source said Wednesday following the first round of talks US Special Envoy to the Middle East, Dennis Ross, held with Israeli and Palestinian officials and hours before the second meeting took place between Ross and Arafat late in the evening.
"There is no way the PNA would accept Netanyahu's proposal to pull out of only eight percent of the West Bank when we have even rejected his former offer to redeploy Israeli troops out of a bit more than ten percent," the source said and stressed that only an effective pressure by the US on Israel would make things move forward.
“I have no expectations from Netanyahu,” Palestinian President Yasser Arafat told reporters after his meeting with Ross on Tuesday. “The US is a signed guarantor of the agreement and it has to insure its implementation,” he added. Palestinian peace talks coordinator Hassan Asfour said it would have been better "if Netanyahu had not raised this proposal in the first place. It is clear that he does not want peace. “ Arafat's special advisor on Israeli affairs, Dr. Ahmad Tibi, said there is not a chance in the world that the Palestinians will forego the third phase of further redeployment. That is the most significant stage of the accords. Netanyahu is leading the situation in the region to chaos and he bears all responsibility for that.”
For many Palestinians, Netanyahu today faces a more difficult situation than he faced prior to the resignation of his foreign minister but still they argue that Israel's stand on the peace process had always been formulated by Netanyahu and not by Levy. In other words, the assessment is, Netanyahu was the one who called the show over the past 18 months of his rule and there is no reason to accept the new assumption that his coalition difficulties would prevent him from carrying out the second redeployment.
Palestinian sources said that they understood from the present round of talks that the US does not intend to change the terms of the security understanding that was reached between Palestinian and Israeli security officers with presence of US representatives late last year. After it was leaked to the press, the understanding was criticized by Netanyahu who distanced himself from it and claimed that the political echelon had yet to ratify the agreement.
The main reason Israel decided to retract its adoption of the agreement was its clause that spoke of "reciprocity in fighting terror", a term Israel saw as an admission on its behalf of the existence of Jewish terror groups operating against the Palestinians and against the peace process.
Israeli cabinet members said that in his meeting with Ross on Tuesday night, Netanyahu refused to discuss the exact extent of the next redeployment and said that the topic is still undecided within the government. Israeli sources said that it’s apparent to Ross that David Levy’s resignation caused the scope of the second pullback to narrow. Israeli press sources confirmed that Netanyahu again suggested to pull out of eight percent of the West Bank if the Palestinians insist on the implementation of the third phase redeployment. Last year, Netanyahu said his government would be ready to pull its forces out of a two digit percent of the West Bank provided the Palestinians skip their demand for a third redeployment prior to the resumption of the final status talks between the two sides. Should the Palestinians not agree to forego the third phase of further redeployment, Israeli sources said, the extent of the withdrawal in the second phase will not exceed eight percent. Netanyahu presented this condition to American peace mediator Dennis Ross in a one-on-one meeting last night, they added.
Senior political sources explained that the extent of territory that Israel will be willing to transfer to Palestinian control will be determined ultimately in accordance with the map of vital national interests. Once the government determines what territory is to remain under Israeli control in the final status arrangement, it will then be able to transfer control of the remaining territory to the Palestinians. The extent of the territory that Israel will transfer to Palestinian control is approximately 10 to 12 percent. According to Netanyahu, Israel is willing to relay control of all this territory within the framework of the second phase of further redeployment, which will amount to a 12 percent withdrawal.