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Israel Proposes New Initiative on Ending Mideast Conflict
The Israeli Foreign Ministry has come up with a set of recommendations on how to deal with deadly Israeli-Palestinian conflict in an effort to break the impasse, Israel's leading daily Ha'aretz reported Friday.
The report said the ministry has submitted to the security cabinet ministers, including Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, a memo which outlines the recommendations.
The move is said to counter the hawkish views of army leaders, including Chief of General Staff Shaul Mofaz and Military Intelligence chief Amos Malka, who regard the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) as an "enemy."
The memo says that Israel should avoid any massive military actions against the PNA and use "appropriate doses" of military response to Palestinian attacks, even if they were large-scale " terrorist attacks."
Israel must not appear to be seeking to capture Palestinian- controlled areas or to remove PNA Chairman Yasser Arafat, and must avoid rhetorical provocations, it says, adding that any attempt to undermine Arafat will only enhance his international support and a major military operation will let Israel confront the problem of what to do "on the day after."
The ministry recommends carrying on "pinpoint activity against terrorist elements" but avoiding attacks against the Palestinian infrastructure and institutions and Palestinian civilians.
It also suggests that Israel might relieve economic sufferings of the Palestinian people, and "strengthen" the population there with economic improvements.
To get out of the current crisis and pressure Arafat to fight " terrorism," says the memo, Israel needs a political program that shows a way out of the crisis, and it must undertake direct talks with the Palestinians to avoid the internationalization of the conflict.
According to report, the ministry proposals include gradual negotiations for a final status agreement, the implementation of existing interim agreements, a "third redeployment" over a significant area in the West Bank and the establishment of a Palestinian state in all those areas under Palestinian control.
The memo warns that an escalation of hostilities between the two sides could lead to the deterioration of regional situation, thus creating a crisis in Israel's relations with Egypt and Jordan.
The way to achieve stability is through international pressure on Arafat to stifle "terrorism" and the political negotiations on the basis of the Mitchell report recommendations, which have got massive international backing.
The memo says that a failure in the political talks would hasten escalation.
The Mitchell report, released by an international inquiry committee on the causes of the Palestinian-Israeli violence headed by former U.S. senator George Mitchell in May, calls on both sides to end violence, take confidence-building measure after a "cooling- off" and finally resume peace negotiations.
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