OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, 13 March 2004 — Egypt will host talks between Yasser Arafat’s government, militant groups and numerous other Palestinian factions on how to control the Gaza Strip after a proposed Israeli withdrawal, an aide to the Palestinian leader said yesterday. A trio of top US envoys, meanwhile, held another round of meetings with Israeli and Palestinian officials to learn more about Israel’s proposal to pull soldiers and Jewish settlers out of Gaza and perhaps also parts of the West Bank.
Israel has hinted to the Palestinians that if there is quiet in Gaza, it might be willing to discuss the fate of the West Bank with the Palestinian Authority, said Nabil Abu Rudeina, a top Arafat aide.
Keeping the volatile Gaza Strip under control won’t be easy, however. Gaza militants have not succeeded in crossing the heavily militarized fence and border zone with Israel but have launched crude rockets over it, causing some damage in Israeli border towns. Those attacks have drawn fierce Israeli military raids. Israeli airstrikes on militants, gunbattles and Palestinian attacks on soldiers in Gaza have increased in recent days, a sign that both sides want to paint a withdrawal as a victory.
And inside the strip, there are growing signs of anarchy, with rival armed gangs and security forces battling for influence.
Abu Rudeina said Egyptian-sponsored talks between the Palestinian factions and the Palestinian Authority will be held in Cairo and the Palestinian territories in the coming weeks, though he didn’t give a date. “The dialogue will focus on the aftermath of an Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, how the Palestinians should run Gaza,” Abu Rudeina said.
Although presented as a unilateral withdrawal, Israel is seeking solid backing from the United States and coordination with Egypt — and to a lesser extent with the Palestinians — to make sure “chaos and anarchy” do not prevail in Gaza, a senior Israeli official said on condition of anonymity.
Israel may even formalize a written agreement with the United States that would include details on the withdrawal and US guarantees, the official said.
Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and his Palestinian counterpart Ahmed Qorei will also discuss the plan, the official said. A long-delayed first summit between the two leaders is tentatively set for Tuesday. The three visiting US envoys — Undersecretary of State William Burns, Deputy Director of the National Security Council Stephen Hadley, and the council’s Mideast specialist, Elliot Abrams — met Palestinian and Israeli officials yesterday before leaving the region.
