BACKGROUND:
On June 24, 2002, President Bush set forth the conditions that the Palestinian Arabs must fulfill in order to merit U.S. support for the creation of a Palestinian Arab state. Among the major obligations are that the Palestinian Arabs must “dismantle the terrorist infrastructure,” “end incitement,” “elect new leaders not compromised by terror,” and unequivocally embrace democracy and free market economics. None of those conditions were fulfilled.
In March 2003, Yasir Arafat chose Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen), the number two man in the PLO since the 1960s, as the new prime minister of the Palestinian Authority. Mazen took office on April 29, 2003. Less than a day later, the Bush administration unveiled its “Road Map” plan, which set forth conditions that the Palestinian Arabs must fulfill prior to the creation of a Palestinian Arab state.
The Road Map stipulates that the Palestinian Arabs are required to undertake concrete steps to combat terrorist groups and democratize Palestinian Arab society. Those obligations, which are quoted below, were supposed to have been fulfilled during Phase 1 of the Road Map, which concluded at the end of May 2003, but they were not fulfilled.
This report analyzes Palestinian Arab violations of those obligations during the 6th week following the unveiling of the Road Map plan, June 3 – June 9, 2003.
I. “Cease All Violence”
What They Are Required to Do: The Road Map states: “In Phase 1 [May 2003], the Palestinians immediately undertake an unconditional cessation of violence.”
What They Did During Week #6: During week #6, June 3 – June 9, 2003, there were at least 18 terrorist attacks or attempted attacks, in which 7 people were murdered and 5 wounded.
(During the first six weeks since Abu Mazen became prime minister and the Road Map was published, there have been a total of 160 Palestinian Arab terrorist attacks or attempted attacks, in which 24 people were murdered and 173 wounded.)
June 3: Shooting attack on an Israeli security vehicle in Gush Katif … Bomb attack on an Israeli bulldozer near the Israel-Egypt border … Attempted arson attack on a kibbutz near the Israel-Jordan border … Bomb attack on Israeli soldiers in Balata.
June 4: Shooting attack on Israeli soldiers in Gaza.
June 5: Shooting attack on Israeli soldiers in Gaza.
June 6: Shooting attack on Israeli soldiers at Neve Dekalim … Knife attack near Ein Kerem; two murdered.
June 7: Attempted attack near Kisufim … Three mortar attacks on Gush Katif neighborhoods.
June 8: Shooting attack at the Erez checkpoint in Gaza; four murdered, four wounded … Shooting attack on Israeli soldiers in Hebron; one murdered.
June 9: Shooting attack on Israeli soldiers in Hebron; one wounded … Attempted stabbing in Karmei Yosef … Shooting attack on the Ganei Tal hothouses … Bomb attack on an Israeli Army vehicle in northern Gaza.
II. “Call for Recognizing Israel and Ending Violence”
What They Are Required to Do: The Road Map obligates the Palestinian Arabs to “issue an unequivocal statement reiterating Israel’s right to exist in peace and security and calling for an immediate and unconditional cease-fire to end armed activity and all acts of violence against Israelis anywhere.”
What They Did During Week #6: On June 4, speaking at the Aqaba summit, Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen) did say “we repeat our renunciation of terrorism against the Israelis wherever they might be.” However, did not pledge to take any specific steps against terrorists—no pledge to arrest terrorists, confiscate their weapons, or dismantle their infrastructure, as the Road Map requires; he did not pledge even to take elementary steps such as outlawing terrorist groups; changing the names of any streets or schools that were named after terrorists, or canceling the PA’s policy of providing monetary payments to imprisoned terrorists and terrorists’ families; he spoke only in general about “acting against incitement,” without pledging to take any specific steps, such as changing the PA’s school textbooks and newspapers, which glorify terrorists as heroes and depict Jews as evil Nazis; he did not offer any timetable for when he would fulfill any of his promises; and he refused to acknowledge that Israel has a right to exist as a Jewish state.
III. “Arrest, Disrupt, and Restrain Terrorists”
What They Are Required to Do: The Road Map obligates the Palestinian Arabs to “undertake visible efforts on the ground to arrest, disrupt and restrain individuals and groups conducting and planning violent attacks on Israelis anywhere.”
What They Did During Week #6: There were no reports of any arrests of terrorists by the Palestinian Authority.
IV. “Confiscate Terrorists’ Weapons”
What They Are Required to Do: The Road Map obligates the Palestinian Arabs to “commence confiscation of illegal weapons.”
What They Did During Week #6: There were no reports of the PA seizing any terrorists’ weapons.
V. “Dismantle the Terrorist Infrastructure”
What They Are Required to Do: The Road Map obligates the Palestinian Arabs to carry out the “dismantlement of terrorist capabilities and infrastructure.”
What They Did During Week #6: The PA did not outlaw Hamas, Islamic Jihad, Fatah, or any other terrorist groups; there were no reports of the PA shutting down any bomb factories or terrorists’ training camps; the PA continued to ignore Israel’s 45 requests for the extradition of terrorists; there were no reports of the PLO leadership punishing PLO factions that are engaged in terrorism, such as the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) and the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP).
By contrast, on June 9, Israeli forces operating near Tulkarm discovered and destroyed 15 sacks of chemicals used for making explosives.
VI. “End All Incitement”
What They Are Required to Do: The Road Map requires that “all official Palestinian institutions end incitement against Israel.”
What They Did During Week #6: The PA’s official newspapers, television, and radio continued to broadcast a steady stream of anti-Israel, anti-American, and pro-violence incitement, and PA officials continued to make inciting statements. In addition, there was no change in the PA’s policy of inciting support for terror by publicly praising terrorists, naming streets after them, and paying salaries to imprisoned terrorists and their families.
The official PA website on June 9, describing Palestinian Arab terrorists who murdered four Israelis in Gaza, hailed them as “freedom fighters.” See: http://www.ipc.gov.ps/ipc_e/ipc_e-1/e_News/news2003/2003-06/029.html
Meanwhile, six new anti-Israel and anti-American cartoons were posted on the official PA web site:
#1 – A recruiting poster featuring Uncle Sam in a death mask, declaring: “I want you for the “Iraqi Freedom”; Join our forces and massacre the Iraqis” SEE: www.ipc.gov.ps/ipc_e/ipc_e-1/e_Carcature/ipc-e_car7.html
#2 – Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon, wearing a bloody shirt and brandishing a blood-drenched butcher knife over a bleeding Arab baby. The scene is a butcher shop, with two bodies hanging on meat hooks. One sign reads: “Palestinian Blood”; the other sign reads “Sale.” SEE: www.ipc.gov.ps/ipc_e/ipc_e-1/e_Carcature/ipc-e_car2.html
#3 – Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon, with blood dripping all over him, holds a knife dripping blood. Veteran Labor Party leader Shimon Peres holds a mop to wipe up the blood on the floor. SEE: www.ipc.gov.ps/ipc_e/ipc_e-1/e_Carcature/ipc-e_car5.html
#4 – Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon holds a whip, aimed at an Arab tied to a post. Sharon is saying: “You must stop the violence.” SEE: www.ipc.gov.ps/ipc_e/ipc_e-1/e_Carcature/ipc-e_car1.html
#5 – Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon, wearing an army uniform, holds a list and a pencil. Next to him is an Israeli soldier holding binoculars and asking “We’ve killed 80 Palestinian, is that enough?” Sharon replies: “Just 19 more…” SEE: www.ipc.gov.ps/ipc_e/ipc_e-1/e_Carcature/ipc-e_car3.html
#6 – A Palestinian Arab woman holding a PLO flag in one hand throws a rock that bounces off the helmet of one of two Israeli soldiers in a tank. One soldier tells the other: “I told you before, all of them are terrorists.” SEE: www.ipc.gov.ps/ipc_e/ipc_e-1/e_Carcature/ipc-e_car4.html
VII. “End Arab States’ Support for Terror”
What They Are Required to Do: The Road Map states that during May 2003, “Arab states cut off public and private funding and all other forms of support for groups supporting and engaging in violence and terror.”
What They Did During Week #6: There were no reports of any Arab states cutting off their support for Palestinian Arab terrorist groups.
VIII. “Consolidate Security Forces”
What They Are Required to Do: The Road Map obligates the Palestinian Arabs to undertake “consolidation of security authority, free of association with terror and corruption”; and “all Palestinian security organizations are consolidated into three services reporting to an empowered interior minister.”
What They Did During Week #6: The Israeli daily Ha’aretz reported on May 5, 2003, that “five different PA security organizations, including Force 17 and the General Intelligence, remain under the direct command of Chairman Yasir Arafat” and have not been consolidated under the control of the Interior Minister. Military Intelligence, the National Security Forces, and the naval forces are also under Arafat’s control. Only the remaining two security agencies are under the Interior Minister. Arafat’s five are under the control of a newly-created agency, the National Security Council, chaired by Arafat and his close aide Hanni al-Hassan.
IX. “Institute Democratic Reforms”
What They Are Required to Do: The Road Map requires the Palestinian Arabs to undertake a number of steps to transform their brutal, corrupt dictatorial regime into a full-fledged democracy, including “action on a credible process to draft constitution for Palestinian statehood”; the holding of “free, open, and fair elections”; and “steps to achieve genuine separation of powers, including any necessary Palestinian legal reforms for this purpose.”
What They Did During Week #6: No such steps have yet been taken.