- JERUSALEM -- The Palestinian
leadership warned yesterday that Ariel Sharon's defiant pledge to retain
the five biggest Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank "may
destroy the whole peace process".
-
- The Israeli premier, on his way to Washington for talks
with President George Bush, declared that the large settlement of Ma'ale
Adumim would remain within Israel "for ever and ever". But Ahmad
Qureia, the Palestinian premier, said: "These tactics destroy any
hope for peace".
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- Mr Qureia added: "We will not accept any settlement
blocs. And we will not accept any decisions unless the Palestinian Authority
is a part of the decision-making process."
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- Mr Sharon is hoping that Mr Bush will recognise in their
talks today that at least three of the biggest settlements, including Ma'ale
Adumim, will not be yielded in any future negotiations with the Palestinians.
He is pressing for the concession as a means of winning over dissidents
in his own Likud party to his plan to disengage from Gaza.
-
- But before flying out to Washington, Mr Sharon specified
for the first time four other big settlements he expected Israel to keep
in perpetuity: Gush Etzion; Kiryat Arba; and the flashpoint settlements
in the area of Hebron. By contrast, his withdrawal plan for Gaza provides,
in addition, for the evacuation of only four small and remote settlements
in the West Bank. At the same time, Israel Radio reported that Mr Sharon
had ordered the evacuation of five small illegal settlement outposts during
the next few days, following a High Court decision a fortnight ago in favour
of dismantling them. The network said that police and border police troops
will be responsible for the evacuation, while IDF soldiers would stand
by, in an attempt to prevent troops - many of whom are residents of settlements
- from clashing with the settlers who face evacuation.
-
- Although the timing of the evacuation is said to be up
to the police and army, Israeli commentators have suggested it may suit
the Prime Minister for television pictures of security forces evicting
settlers to be shown during his US visit.
-
- Israeli soldiers and police officers removed a group
of settlers from the remains of the Hazon David outpost yesterday. The
area was fenced off to stop settlers from rebuilding the structure used
as a synagogue.
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- © 2004 Independent Digital (UK) Ltd http://news.independent.co.uk/world/middle_east/story.jsp?story=511216
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