Following path of least resistance

The Palestinian cabinet endorsed last Wednesday the proposal presented earlier last week by Israeli defence minister, Benjamin Ben-Eliezer, stipulating the withdrawal of Israel from Gaza as a primary step if the Palestinian Authority undertakes to curb the bomb attacks.

The Palestinians have given preliminary support to the proposal, considering it a basis for realising their demand that Israel withdraw to its positions before the Intifada.

However, the Palestinian side laid down the condition that Israel should guarantee that the plan in Gaza results in its extension to the West Bank, and that the plan should be implemented simultaneously in Gaza and the West Bank city of Bethlehem.

The following is a review of the Arab press' discussion of this new plan and its implications on the Palestinian political arena.

The Palestinian leadership needs to study this proposal carefully in order to reach the most appropriate decision that will serve the interests of all Palestinians, writes Asharq Al Awsat (UK-based) in its editorial comment.

'Gaza first plan'

Israel started to promote the "Gaza first" plan for the first time in 1994 after the peace process reached an impasse. The plan stipulated the transfer of control of the Gaza Strip to the Palestinian Liberation Organi-sation (PLO) under the command of Yasser Arafat, while the West Bank remains under Israeli control for an indeterminate period of time, adds Asharq Al Awsat.

At that time, Arafat welcomed the proposal, considering it a good start to revive the peace negotiations. Today, after destroying all the foundations of the Oslo Agreement and re-occupying the West Bank and Gaza Strip, Israel is once again campaigning for the " Gaza first" plan.

According to some rumours, Arafat is disposed towards accepting this proposal, which aims at transferring the Palestinian Authority to Gaza in exchange for an Israeli promise to withdraw later on from the West Bank.

However, if the Palestinians were ready to accept a progressive withdrawal eight years ago, this issue seems unacceptable to them today, adds Asharq Al Awsat.

Indeed, everyone knows that it is a new manoeuvre by Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon to gain time; his real plan is to establish new colonies in the Occupied Territories and to populate them with thousands of Jewish settlers. He is more than determined to keep the Gaza Strip under his control because he considers this area a time bomb economically and demographically.

Just a ploy

It seems that the 'Gaza first' plan is nothing but a ploy to substitute the total withdrawal with a formula of buffer zones and Bantustans similar to those that existed in South Africa during the apartheid regime, concludes Asharq Al Awsat.

Furthermore, each time Israel proves that it is not serious about all its proposals and initiatives, which turn out to be mere political propaganda to absorb the anger of the international community, writes Al Sharq (Qatar) in its editorial comment.

The failure of the Palestinian-Israeli security meeting last week is a glaring example of the constant retraction of Israel of its promises. In fact, the Israeli defence minister first included the city of Bethlehem in the security plan for Gaza. Yet, during the meeting, Israel changed its conditions, restricting the application of the security plan to Gaza. This new plan offers nothing new.

On the contrary, it aims at transforming the Palestinian–Israeli conflict into a conflict over security and blaming the Palestinian Authority for its inefficiency in stopping the bombing attacks against Israel.

The Palestinian Authority is facing a confusing situation. On the one hand, the Israelis constantly accuse it of supporting terrorism, while on the other, they offer it a new proposal called "Gaza first", adds Al Sharq.

The Palestinians should be realistic and aware of Sharon's real intentions; they should not chase after another mirage. Instead, they should concentrate their efforts on the revival of the Arab and international peace initiatives based on the UN resolutions, concludes Al Sharq.

Indeed, Israel rushed to disengage itself from its commitments when it realised that the Palestinian Authority was serious about accepting the "Gaza first" plan, writes Al Jazeera (Saudi Arabia) in its editorial comment.

As soon as the Palestinians approved the proposal, Israel presented a series of new conditions impossible to accept. This new manoeuvre reinforced the conviction of the Palestinians that the Israeli side was not serious about reaching a settlement.

On the contrary, the plan aimed at provoking a controversy on the Palestinian side leading to internal discord and perhaps a civil war. Israel has always bet on just such a quarrel between the Palestinians, which is not just a temporary objective but a long lasting strategy to weaken the Palestinians and prolong the occupation, adds Al Jazeera.

The Israeli disengagement comes at a time when a new round of negotiations between the U.S. and the Palestinians is taking place in Washington to discuss the new reforms implemented by the Palestinian Authority. Hence, during these negotiations, the Palestinian side should try to convince the U.S. that its strategic ally, Israel, is blocking all the peace initiatives, says Al Jazeera.

Hopefully, this time, Washington will take a firm position to force Israel to accept the end of the military operation in the Palestinian territories and the beginning of a new round of negotiations to settle the numerous pending issues, concludes Al Jazeera.

On the other hand, the acceptance of the "Gaza first" plan by the Palestinians reflects the level of confusion in the Palestinian Authority with regard to Israel's plans and proposals which aim at stopping the resistance of the Palestinian people, writes Akhbar Al Arab (UAE) in its editorial comment.

Impossible conditions

Despite the preliminary approval of the new plan by the Palestinian Authority, Israel pursued its aggressions against the Occupied Territories, killing six Palestinians in one day, among whom was a Hamas leader and a member of the Al Aqsa martyrs' brigade. Moreover, this approval did not prevent Israel from imposing new impossible conditions in order to force the Palestinians to refuse the proposal. Under such circumstances, the security meeting between the two sides seems pointless, adds Akhbar Al Arab.

But by trying to overcome the state of siege, the Palestinian Authority is driving the Palestinian people towards an impasse. In fact, the Palestinians will find themselves torn apart, stuck between the Israeli fire and the weakness of a national authority unable to protect its people. The Palestinian leadership knows very well that such a situation will only lead to internal discord capable of setting ablaze what remains of the Palestinian dream, says Akhbar Al Arab.

Why is the Palestinian Authority willing to accept what the majority of Palestinians refuse to accept? Why is it accepting a plan it refused in the beginning? In essence, it seems that the Palestinian Authority is under tremendous external pressure. Otherwise, it would never have accepted such a