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| Wednesday, 2 March 2005 |
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Tel Aviv attack threatens fragile ceasefire by Saud Abu Ramadan GAZA, (Xinhua) Friday's suicide bombing attack that killed five Israelis and wounded over 50 in Tel Aviv has posed grave threat to the fragile ceasefire deal Israel and the Palestinians reached at a Feb. 8 summit. Provoked by the deadly attack, the first inside Israel since last November, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon decided to freeze all direct political and security talks with the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) unless Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas "wipes out terror groups and dismantles their infrastructure." In addition, the Jewish state postponed the release of an extra 400 Palestinian prisoners it promised as part of a confidence- building package and a goodwill gesture to the Palestinians. Five hundred prisoners were released last week. Moreover, Israel decided to delay the handover of five West Bank cities to the PNA. The Palestinian militant group Islamic Jihad (Holy War) claimed responsibility for the attack on a Tel Aviv night club in retaliation for Israel's violations of the truce, adding the calmness the group has maintained for the past few weeks ended on Feb. 22, three days before the attack. Khaled Al Batsh, senior Jihad leader, said Israel continued its aggressions against the Palestinians during the calmness period, citing 25 Palestinians were shot dead in the West Bank and Gaza and there were more than 250 Israeli violations of the ceasefire. However, Israel said it was totally committed to the truce deal and stopped the targeted killing of militants. But many Palestinians complained that Israel did not ease the harsh restrictions. "Although Israel stopped targeting militants, the security measures it imposed on the Palestinians' daily life at checkpoints, crossings and terminals were still there," said Faraj al Taweel, a Gaza resident. Mohamed Abu Naji, a Palestinian observer, said the Palestinian militant groups showed complete commitment to the calmness they had reached with Abbas but Israel failed to fulfill its commitment. "Israel has not eased its security measures on the Palestinian territories except releasing less than 10 percent of the Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails," he said. Attacks on Israel has dropped sharply in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank since Abbas, vowing to end violence, talked the militant groups into a de facto truce after he was elected PNA President on Jan.9 to succeed the late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat. Although having promised to abide by the calmness, Palestinian militants conditioned their ceasefire on Israel's complete cessation of military operations and the release of more prisoners. "Everything was fine till the suicide bombing attack," said Abu Naji. "Israel has apparently used the attack in creating obstacles in the peace process so as to gain more time to convince the right- wingers in Israel to implement the unilateral disengagement plan." Some Palestinian officials also accused Israel of capitalizing on the Tel Aviv suicide bombing to escape from implementing its promises. Minister of Prisoners' Affairs Sufian Abu Zayda said on Monday that the Israeli declaration that it will not release 400 prisoners "is clearly an escape from fulfilling its commitment." On Sunday, Israeli chief of National Security Council Giora Eiland urged the PNA to try Palestinian militants involved in the attack, threatening to resume the targeted killings. In response, Palestinian chief negotiator Saeb Erekat warned on Monday that the peace process would collapse "if Israel resumes assassinations against Palestinians." Calling on Israel to make good on its commitments achieved at Sharm el-Sheikh summit, Erekat said, "The right reaction to those who are trying to undermine the peace process is to press ahead with the peace efforts instead of freezing them. "Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qurei dismissed Israeli decision to suspend peace talks, saying that Israel is free to suspend the talks with the PNA and that the Palestinian side " would not cry for it." Analysts said that the Tel Aviv attack and Israel's pressure on Abbas to crack down on militant groups put at risk the opportunity to revive the long-stalled peace process. Some even expect a resurgence of the vicious cycle of violence that has plagued the Palestinians and Israelis for the past four years. |
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