Israel has laid down a demand for a ”complete cessation of terror” before it begins implementing the US-led ”road map” to a peace settlement.
Palestinian negotiators say any such requirement would hold the process hostage to anyone with a bomb or gun.
The demand is among 14 amendments, leaked to the press yesterday, that the Israeli cabinet is seeking to the US plan as a condition of its reluctant approval. Other minimum demands include a requirement that the Palestinians waive any right of return to Israel for refugees, and the dismantling of Hamas and other ”terrorist” organisations.
The Israelis are also demanding a bar on any discussion within the plan of the fate of established Jewish settlements or Jerusalem until final status talks towards the end of the process, and the acceptance before negotiations begin that Israel will control the borders and other aspects of a provisional Palestinian state.
Crucially, the Israelis want to abandon the concept of the two sides implementing commitments in parallel. Instead they want the talks to progress using ”performance benchmarks”, such as whether the violence has ended, and the right to decide if the benchmarks have been reached.
”The first condition for progress will be the complete cessation of terror, violence and incitement,” the document says. ”There will be no progress to the second phase without the fulfilment of all above-mentioned conditions relating to the war against terror.”
But the Israelis say they should not be subject to similar conditions. ”The road map will not state that Israel must halt violence, incitement against the Palestinians,” the document adds.
The demands are likely to be high on the agenda of the expected summit between President George Bush, Sharon and the Palestinian prime minister, Mahmoud Abbas, next week. The US has said it will ”address” the demands but adds that it is not prepared to amend the plan.
Opinion is divided on whether Sharon has attached the 14 conditions as a way of selling the plan to his cabinet, or as a tactic to appear committed to peace but to upset negotiations.
A lawyer with the Palestinian Liberation Organisation’s negotiation team, Michael Tarazi, believed the latter. ”On the one hand, the Israelis are accepting the road map and on the other they are lining the road with mines,” he said.
Diplomats said the demands raised difficult issues. One said two demands –rejecting parallel implementation and calling for Palestinians to prevent all acts of terrorism — ”can’t be done”. Any attack could be used to wreck the process.
But he added: ”George Bush appears to be serious about getting this off the ground and if he can pressure Sharon to give ground on those two key issues I think the rest can be worked out.” – Guardian Unlimited Â