JERUSALEM, 7 October 2004 — Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s chief of staff said yesterday that Israel’s plan to withdraw from some occupied territory aims to rule out a Palestinian state indefinitely, with full US approval.
Dov Weisglass’ remarks on the move to give up the Gaza Strip next year while keeping large chunks of the West Bank surprised US diplomats, who said Washington remained dedicated to a road map peace plan for a Palestinian state.
Sharon, wary of alienating Israel’s key ally, said later he still backed the road map which was effectively dismissed by Weisglass in an interview published in Haaretz newspaper. Palestinians, whose calls for road map talks have been spurned by Israel’s ruling right, condemned Weisglass’ message.
“I believe he has revealed the true intentions of Sharon. We told the quartet (of US-led peace mediators) eight months ago that the Gaza plan was designed to undermine their road map,” said Palestinian Negotiations Minister Saeb Erekat.
US Secretary of State Colin Powell said Washington thought Sharon was still committed to the peace plan: “There was never any doubt in our minds that that represents the prime minister’s position and the position of the government of Israel,” he said.
Weisglass’ message, coinciding with a big Israeli offensive in Gaza, could help Sharon win over far-right foes who oppose abandoning the territory and may challenge his grip on power.
“The significance of our disengagement plan is the freezing of the peace process. It supplies the formaldehyde necessary so there is no political process with Palestinians,” Weisglass said.
“When you freeze the process, you prevent the establishment of a Palestinian state ... Effectively, this whole package called a Palestinian state, with all it entails, has been removed indefinitely from our agenda.”
Meanwhile, Israel’s deadly offensive in northern Gaza entered its second week yesterday with the government vowing to press on until Palestinian rocket fire stopped and with Palestinian chiefs pledging to intensify their attacks.
A Thai worker and six Palestinians, three of them fighters, were the latest victims of the massive Israeli campaign after Washington vetoed a draft UN Security Council resolution calling for a halt to the offensive, the Israeli Army and Palestinian medics said.
Two fighters of the largest fighter group, Hamas, were shot dead by Israeli troops as they attempted to infiltrate the Kfar Darom settlement in the southern Gaza Strip. A third Palestinian died when an explosive charge he was carrying went off prematurely.
The Thai migrant laborer was employed on the settlement and died during exchanges of fire.
Earlier, medics said three Palestinians were killed in Israeli tank strikes in the northern Gaza Strip overnight. Twenty Palestinians were reported wounded, two of them young women who were said to be in serious condition.
The deaths brought to 88 the number of Palestinians killed since the army launched its offensive against the northern Gaza Strip on Sept. 28 to forge a buffer zone to keep Palestinians out of rocket range of southern Israel.
— Additional input from agencies
