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Israel, Palestinians dispute handover
(Agencies)
Updated: 2005-03-10 09:00
Israel and the Palestinians deadlocked Wednesday over returning control of
West Bank towns to Palestinian control, extending a stalemate that threatens to
increase frustration and anger that could lead to increased violence after a
monthlong truce.
Despite the risk of losing momentum in peace efforts, both sides clung to
their positions.
The Palestinians insisted Israel remove army roadblocks around the towns and
lift travel restrictions. Israel said it cannot take security risks until
Palestinian security forces do a better job reining in militants.
![An Israeli soldier mans the main army checkpoint at the entrance of the West Bank town of Jericho Wednesday March 9, 2005. Israeli and Palestinian security commanders failed to reach agreement Wednesday on the handover of Jericho to Palestinian security control, participants said. [AP]](xin_18030210090379610755.jpg)
An Israeli soldier mans the main army
checkpoint at the entrance of the West Bank town of Jericho Wednesday
March 9, 2005. Israeli and Palestinian security commanders failed to reach
agreement Wednesday on the handover of Jericho to Palestinian security
control, participants said. [AP] | The quiet,
isolated oasis of Jericho was the unlikely focus of the disagreement. Its
handover had been expected to be a relatively simple affair, and the unexpected
stall raised concerns that the two sides would have worse trouble settling far
thornier issues down the road.
Washington's new envoy, William Ward, a U.S. Army general, was due to take up
his new post Thursday, and Paul Patin, spokesman for the U.S. Embassy in Tel
Aviv, raised the possibility that Ward would intervene in the negotiations.
"Security coordination is his brief," he said.
On Wednesday, two meetings of Israeli and Palestinian security commanders in
Jericho broke up without agreement, and no new talks were scheduled. The
breakdown came a day after Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Defense
Minister Shaul Mofaz failed to settle the dispute over the roadblocks north and
south of Jericho.
Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qureia accused Israel of dragging its feet,
and the violent Islamic group Hamas warned that Israel "will be held fully
responsible for the consequences."
In a curious twist, the disagreement over Jericho appeared to focus mostly on
a gleaming luxury casino and hotel just outside town. Built during the heyday of
Israeli-Palestinian peacemaking in the mid-1990s, the Oasis casino closed after
the outbreak of violence in the fall of 2000 kept away its mainly Israeli
customers.
Many Palestinians in Jericho are hoping that peace will bring the Israelis
back, restoring jobs and boosting the town's battered tourism-based economy. At
its height, the casino and adjacent hotel employed 1,600 Palestinians and 450
foreigners, but now only about 60 workers maintain the building.
Haj Ismail Jabr, the top
Palestinian security official in the West Bank (L), shakes hands with Tal
Ruso, the Israeli military chief of the Jordan Valley area, during their
meeting in the West Bank city of
Jericho.[AFP] | "Without tourists, without the visitors, we die," said Amer Samih, 29, a taxi
driver.
Everything looked ready at the casino Wednesday. The floors sparkled, chairs
were neatly stacked on the tables, chips piled carefully on the gaming tables.
Slot machines blinked and whirred.
Security manager Hans Holek said returning West Bank towns, including
Jericho, to Palestinian control would calm the area and allow the casino to
reopen.
"We have to have a certain level of stability. When the cities reopen, then
we can begin to make financial plans," he said.
But the Israelis don't think the time is right yet. A ban on Israeli citizens
entering Palestinian areas is still in force, and one of the Israeli checkpoints
the Palestinians wanted removed stands between Israel and the casino.
The roadblock stands in the desert, with soldiers checking vehicles entering
and exiting Jericho. Planted on the rocky ground nearby are air-conditioned
trailers for commanders and the district liaison office. A 25-foot-high concrete
wall protects the trailers from car bombs.
In recent months, the Israeli military has taken steps to ease long waits at
the checkpoint, opening a second lane for incoming traffic. But residents say
they are often held up for an hour or more.
Israeli officials say removing the roadblock would endanger Vered Yericho, a
nearby Jewish settlement of 160 residents.
"Without lifting the roadblocks, the handover will be meaningless," said Saeb
Erekat, a Palestinian government official who lives in
Jericho.
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