OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, 14 March 2003 — The United States has asked Israel to ease conditions in the Palestinian territories as a gesture to help the nomination of PLO moderate Mahmud Abbas as prime minister, Israeli Army radio said yesterday.
Washington wants Israel to alleviate the blockade in the West Bank and Gaza Strip to improve conditions for the Palestinian population and smooth the way for Abbas, also known as Abu Mazen, to be named by Palestinian President Yasser Arafat as a power-sharing premier.
Israel, the United States and the European Union have insisted on the creation of a prime ministerial post to help push through vital reforms to the administration, accused of corruption and helping anti-Israeli groups. Both Israel and Washington want to see Arafat relegated to a largely ceremonial role, accusing him of hindering efforts to end the 29-month Palestinian uprising.
Abbas, 68, has spoken out against hard-line groups’ attacks on Israel and recently called for a suspension of such strikes. He is also a co-founder of Arafat’s Fatah movement and the veteran leader’s deputy in the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO). Under pressure at home and abroad, Arafat agreed to the premier’s job and last weekend suggested Abbas for the post.
Critics of Monday’s parliamentary vote to create the position said the timing was not right and objected to the fact that it was passed under international pressure, arguing that the move would not end Israel’s raids on Gaza and reoccupation of the West Bank.
Israel beefed up forces in the flash point West Bank city of Hebron yesterday, while a relative calm descended on the region ahead of an expected US-led war on Iraq and the Palestinians awaited the appointment of a new moderate premier.
Israeli Army radio said that reinforcements had been deployed in Hebron in preparation for a major “anti-terrorist” operation, including wide-scale house searches to hunt down activists behind a series of deadly attacks recently.
