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.
This report analyzes Palestinian Arab violations of those obligations during the 11th week following the unveiling of the Road Map plan, July 8 – July 14, 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.” They did not do so. On June 29, 2003, Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and Fatah issued statements saying that they would suspend attacks on Israelis for a period of 90 days if Israel ceases all counter-terror operations and releases all imprisoned terrorists.
What They Did During Week #11: During week #11, July 8 – July 14, 2003, there were at least 17 terrorist attacks, in which one person was murdered and two wounded. (During the first 11 weeks since Abu Mazen became prime minister and the Road Map was published, there have been a total of 321 Palestinian Arab terrorist attacks or attempted attacks, in which 51 people were murdered and 317 wounded.)
July 8: Shooting attack on workers near Kalkilya … Shooting attack on Israeli motorists near Jenin … Terrorist intercepted on his way to an attack near Carmel.
July 9: Shooting attack on Israeli soldiers in Samaria … Firebomb attack on Israeli soldiers in Kedumim … Arson attack on homes in Kadim.
July 10: Shooting attack on Israeli soldiers northeast of Shechem (Nablus).
July 11: Stabbing attack on an Israeli in Karnei Shomron.
July 12: An Israeli taxi driver was kidnapped near Jerusalem.
July 13: Shooting attack on Israeli soldiers in Rafiah … Grenade attack on Israeli soldiers in Netzarim … Attack on Israeli motorists near Yitzhar … Attack on Israeli motorists near Itamar.
July 14: Stabbing attack at the Tel Aviv beachfront; one person murdered, two wounded … Shooting attack on Israeli soldiers in Shechem (Nablus) … Shooting attack on Israeli soldiers in Kadim … Shooting attack on an Israeli Army outpost near Neve Dekalim.
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 #11: No such statement was issued. 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.” But PA Minister of Information Nabil Amr said (Doha Al-Jazira Television, June 14, 2003): “As regards the word ‘terrorism’, I do not know why when the Palestinians denounce the word terrorism, certain people think that this means resistance. There is no text anywhere that says that the Palestinian people’s resistance is terrorism, which we denounce…Yes, we denounce terrorism. Anyone who says that denouncing terrorism means denouncing resistance is doing an injustice to legitimate resistance and is in effect labeling it with terrorism.”
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 #11: The chief of Israeli Military Intelligence, Major General Aharon Zeevi Farkash, told Israel Radio (July 6, 2003) that “while the PA detained some terrorists suspected of attacking Israeli targets in the Gaza Strip since the PA took security responsibility in the Gaza Strip that they released the terrorists after talking with them.” (Translation courtesy of IMRA)
On July 5, the PA reportedly arrested nine terrorists who had been firing mortar rockets at Israel. On July 7, the New York Times reported that two of the nine had already been released; on July 8, the New York Times reported that the remaining seven have also been released.
On July 6, the PA claimed it had arrested “a would-be suicide bomber” in the Gaza Strip, and that she had left behind a note describing her intention to carry out a terrorist attack. But now the New York Times reported on July 8 that, in fact, the “bomber” was actually a distraught, unarmed teenage girl who “left behind a note describing her troubles with her family and had then run off … ‘We found her crying,’ a Palestinian Preventive Security official said. ‘She was sitting there and crying. He said security officers had questioned the woman, who was not carrying an explosive, and then released her.’”
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 #11: On July 10, there were media reports that PA security forces had confiscated 20 illegal weapons from individuals in Gaza. Israel Radio reported on July 12 that the individuals were common criminals, not terrorists.
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 #11: 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).
The Israeli daily Ha’aretz reported (July 7, 2003): “Hamas continues to manufacture Qassam rockets under cover of the cease-fire, senior intelligence officials revealed.” Israel Radio reported (July 10, 2003): “A special report by Military Intelligence finds that the Palestinians are exploiting the cease-fire to reorganize to attack. According to the report, the Palestinians are recruiting suicide bombers and have increased the pace of production of Qassam missiles in the Gaza Strip now under Palestinian security control.”
Israel Television reported (July 13, 2003): “The Palestinians recently test fired a new extended range Qassam rocket … It has a range greater than 10 kilometers.” Israeli Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz told the cabinet on July 13, 2003, that the terrorist organizations are “using the ceasefire to rebuild their infrastructures.”
Ha’aretz reported on July 14, 2003: “A senior IDF officer said that Palestinian terrorist organizations in the Gaza Strip are engaged in an effort to complete the production of 1,000 Kassam rockets during the period of the hudna (cease-fire) that is slated to last three months. During recent weeks, the organizations in Gaza, and above all Hamas, have been making an effort to extend the range of the rockets they have. The main objective of the rocket industry is to reach a range of nearly 20 km. and thus place the city of Ashkelon in striking range. The Kassam-2, that is currently being used by Hamas, reaches a range of some 8 km.”
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 #11: 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.
For example, Palestinian Media Watch reported that on July 7, 2003, “there was a song at a PA school graduation ceremony in Gaza at which they sang about their future return to [the Israeli cities] of Ramle and Jaffa.”
On July 13, 2003, PA Television featured Dr. Hassan Khader, founder of the Al Quds Encyclopedia, delivering a lecture in which he said: “Mohammed said: “The Hour [Day of Resurrection] will not arrive until you fight the Jews, [until a Jew will hide behind a rock or tree] and the rock and the tree will say: ‘Oh Muslim, servant of Allah, there is a Jew behind me, come and kill him!’”
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 #11: 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 #11: 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 #11: No such steps were taken.