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Palestinians Not to Accept Israel’s Concessions Contradicting Their Interests

Politics Materials 18 August 2008 15:10 (UTC +04:00)

Azerbaijan, Baku, 18 August / Trend , corr U. Sadigova, R. Abdullayev/ The reason for the Palestinian government's refusal to accept Israel's truce plan is that it contradicts the interests of the Palestinians though it can help to normalize relations with Israel for the time being.

" Palestine does not accept this plan that includes the military interests of Israel which Jerusalem dictates to the world community," Adil Atey, the Palestinian expert said to Trend by telephone from Brussels. He is adviser to the Palestinian delegation in EU.

Head of the Palestinian Administration Mahmud Abbas rejected the draft of the peace accord with Palestine offered by Israel. In the document Israel offers Palestine 93% of the occupied lands including Iudei and Samariya regions excluding Jerusalem, BBC reported on 13 August.

The political situation which appeared in Israel after the resignation of the Premier Ehud Olmert led to the restoration of talks with Palestine. According to the Israeli expert Mordekhai Kedar, the crisis of government in Israel will give a good chance to Palestinians to sign a truce by the end of 2008. However, the expert did not say whether Israel will change its conditions in this case.

"The absence of the internal stability in the ruling Kadima party and weakness of the current Israeli government gives opportunity Mahmud Abbas to gain concessions which he could not dreamt about during the office of the former premiers," said Kedar, expert at the Begin Sadat Strategic Studies Center attached to Bar Ilan University (Tel-Aviv).

The refusal of Mahmud Abbas shows lack of foresight of the Palestinian leader. If Palestine agrees to get back more than half of its lands, the solution of the question on the status of Jerusalem will not take long to be resolved, he said.

"Abbas is willing to get Jerusalem as a capital city of his state, because the city has become one of the most developed regions of Israel," Kedar said

The Palestinian expert Atey said that Israel rebuilt the city in 1967 and now Israel is open for Christians and Jews, Muslims. The only way out of the problem for the Palestinians is granting international law to establish independent state within the borders of 1967, he said. Jerusalem was part of Palestinian territory until the Six-Day War with Israel.

"This is most concrete demand of the Palestinians and we are not going to give it up. Jerusalem remains the most important issue for the Palestinians and the problem on the other territories does not require long-term discussions," Atey said.

According to expert, at the background of ending conflict between the parties there is no final determination of the Palestinian borders and the question on the security of the Arab settlements on the border with Israel has not been solved yet.

" Israel is well-aware of the demands of Palestine, but it is under the thumb of US who uses Palestinian-Israeli conflict in its own interests," the Palestinian expert said.

According to expert, weak and unstable government of Israel made this statement to show the world community that it has made all efforts to achieve truce with Palestine giving up many of its conditions.

"Actually, all documents on truce include the military interest of Israel and the interests of the Palestinian side are not included at all," Atey said. Though this document contradicts the conditions of the Palestinians, the world community believes this plan to be optimal for Palestine under the pressure of US. US, who always supports Israel in these talks, will never demand them to take steps which can weaken security of the country, the Israeli expert Kedar said.

Therefore, the United States and Israel will not cooperate with the Palestinians, until three terms of the international community are not carried out, he said. These terms include recognition of Israel's right of existence, refusal from violation, as well as observation of a set of the Palestinian-Israeli agreements reached earlier.

According to Riyad al-Assal, an independent Palestinian expert, Israel offered such a truce, taking into account split within the Palestinian leadership. Israel wants to take advantage of this situation, in order quickly to solve this conflict, he said.

"The Palestinians will not get long-expected independence, until the Palestinian Government is not headed by a leader, who will be supported by whole nation," al-Assal told Trend by telephone from Jerusalem on 15 August.

According to al-Assal, neither Fatah party, which rules over the West bank, nor HAMAS, which rules over the Gaza Strip, can provide the nation with rights, granting them independence.

"The most important moment is that the Palestinian nation is not presented in united form. Therefore, the Palestinians' terms on truce with Israel are not taken into account," al-Assal believes.

Through the current attempts to sign a truce, Israel wants to make Palestine to give up by getting independence, which is profitable for Israel.

"Surely, truce is not inked on the terms of only one side. There are international norms, on which document will be signed between the sides," he said.

According to Kedar, Israel and West intend to profit by the situation with the Palestinian split and to support the leader of the autonomy Mahmud Abbas, who unlike HAMAS leaders does not make sharp statements against Israel.

"The Palestinian leaders of movements, such as FATH and HAMAS, have no idea of what to do with the power in the Western bank and Gaza. Even if they do not recognize Israel, electricity, water and food products are exported through the Israeli border and this is more important than their political views," the expert noted.

Palestine-Israel war, which commenced in 1948 after the declaration of the Israel's independence, has not yet ended. Israel occupied remaining Palestinian territories including the West bank and Gaza Strip, during the war in 1967. In 2003, near-eastern sFour', comprising the United States, the European Union, Russia and the United Nations, approved 'Road map' project, targeting realization of two countries' ideas.

"If Israel agrees with all terms of the Palestinians, we are ready to give territory in the Western bank to Israel, where Jews live," Atey, the Palestinian expert, said.

The correspondent can be contacted at: [email protected]

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