Suspicious Atmosphere

Abdulwahab Badrakhan      Al-Hayat     2003/07/5

The first steps of the Roadmap, from limited withdrawals to handing security over to the Palestinian police, are not enough to clear suspicions. Unfortunately, regardless of the discussions between government and factions, there is a widespread impression that something is being cooked behind the scenes. Israelis are known for not changing their intentions so quickly and easily, even for not changing them at all. They already believe the land is theirs. So if they return it, they will have certain conditions which, if they fail to obtain, they believe they'll have the 'right' to get them their own way.

At this stage, the Palestinian security will still be required to handle the task Israelis were carrying out through assassinations, air strikes, invasions and planned destruction. The Americans view the success of this stage as the end of any armed Palestinian operation against the occupation. Although they might not actually be involved in triggering a Palestinian civil war, the Israelis are hoping it will happen. The challenge is for the Palestinians to prove their ability to avoid it. Yes, dialogue is good, and yes, truce is highly important, but no dialogue can succeed if the Americans and Israelis demand the dismantlement of certain parties representing a share of the Palestinian society. In fact, comparable incidents in other countries failed, and when they worked out, they cost a lot and their repercussions never ceased to affect the society.

With this 'truce,' there is a risk of seeing a Palestinian problem erupt among the factions. The lack of mutual trust is likely to deepen. The same problems that existed under the "Authority" before it became a "government" seem to make another appearance. Some groups still insist on their stances in refusing any authority or government or any peace negotiations. And even if they do have convincing arguments, they seem to fail in suggesting a better substitute. No one refuses the right to fight the occupation, but the facts on the ground impose some compromises, considering that these groups have probably agreed on a truce based on that fact. Still, if there is no chance for dismantling some of them, then half solutions would be harmful.

We do understand that the "truce" is a contribution to support the Palestinian government. Did we understand wrong? If that is the real purpose, then they should go with this option to the limit, or else we will be facing an uncalled for manipulation. Hence, either Hamas and Jihad are trying to help the government succeed or they are not, and they need to be clear on their positions. On the other hand, this government has agreed on the Roadmap without any objections. So either it was aware of the fact that the Roadmap required the dismantling of some forces and considered it was capable of achieving that, or it did not know what was demanded and then was surprised by the American-Israeli "explanation" of the clauses of the Roadmap's first stage.

In this case, what could happen if Israel carried out today or tomorrow a new assassination operation? Who knows for sure that it won't, especially if it is sure that such an act would provoke mayhem without costing it anything - but will certainly cost the other camp, namely the Palestinian government and security forces? It is not enough that America is offering financial assistance to support this government, as the true assistance would be for America to prove it is not against the people of this government.