THE BUSH PLAN:
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.
This report analyzes Palestinian Arab actions during the 33rd week following President Bush’s speech, February 4 through February 10, 2003.
I. “Dismantle the Terrorist Infrastructure”
What They Must Do: President Bush said that the Palestinian Arabs must “engage in a sustained fight against the terrorists and dismantle their infrastructure.” Those terms were previously defined in the Oslo and Wye accords as including arresting and imprisoning terrorists; shutting down bomb factories; seizing terrorists’ weapons; extraditing terrorists to Israel; punishing factions of the PLO that engage in terrorism; and outlawing terrorist groups.
The Bush administration has also said that in rebuilding its police and security forces, the PA must reform them so they fight against terrorists instead of taking part in terrorism. The training, under the supervision of U.S., Egyptian, and Jordanian security officials, began on Sept. 19, 2002; however, Israel has protested the fact that at least 100 of the 150 PA security officers in the course “were involved in attacks on Israeli civilians.” (Middle East Newsline, Sept. 17, 2002)
What They Did During Week #33:
A. No Terrorists Arrested: There were no reports of terrorists being arrested or imprisoned.
B. No Terrorists Extradited: The PA continued to ignore Israel’s 45 requests for the extradition of terrorists.
C. No Terror Groups Outlawed: The PA did not outlaw Hamas, Islamic Jihad, Fatah, or any other terrorist groups.
D. No Terrorists’ Weapons Seized: There were no reports of the PA seizing terrorists’ weapons. By contrast, Israeli forces searching the Taibeh mosque on February 6 uncovered an explosive belt that was being prepared for use by a suicide bomber.
E. No Closing of Bomb Factories: There were no reports of the PA shutting down any bomb factories.
F. No Punishing of PLO Terror Factions: 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).
G. New Terrorist Attacks: During week #33, February 4-10, 2003, there were at least 38 terrorist attacks or attempted attacks, in which 2 people were murdered and 8 were wounded:
February 4: Shooting attack in Kfar Darom; one wounded … Terrorist caught smuggling weapons into Gaza for an attack … Shooting attack on Israeli soldiers in the Muassi neighborhood of central Gaza.
February 5: Shooting attack on Israeli soldiers in Shechem (Nablus); two killed and two wounded … Ten mortar attacks on Jewish neighborhoods in Gush Katif … Firebombs thrown at Israeli soldiers in Tulkarm … Shooting attack on Israeli policemen near Maâ?Tale Adumim … Shooting attack on an Israeli Army base north of Jerusalem … Shooting attack on Israeli soldiers in Gaza.
February 6: Two terrorists intercepted on their way to carry out an attack north of Shechem (Nablus) … A terrorist was intercepted in Bethlehem while preparing a suicide attack … Shooting attack on Israeli soldiers in Gaza … Stabbing of Israeli police officer on the Wadi Ara road; one wounded.
February 7: Shooting attack on Israeli soldiers in Gaza … A terrorist was intercepted in Shechem (Nablus) while preparing a suicide attack.
February 8: Shooting attack on an Israeli Army force near Shechem (Nablus) … Shooting attack on Israeli soldiers in Gaza.
February 9: Car-bomb attack on an Israeli Army outpost in Gaza; four wounded … Shooting attack on Israeli soldiers in Gaza … Bomb attack near the Karni Checkpoint in Gaza … Two rocket-launchers discovered and dismantled north of Netzarim … Grenade attack on an Israeli Army patrol on the Israel-Egypt border … A terrorist was intercepted in Shechem (Nablus) while preparing a suicide attack.
February 10: A suicide bomber was intercepted in Ramallah … A terrorist armed with grenades was intercepted in Gaza on his way to carry out an attack … A terrorist armed with bombs was intercepted in Gaza on his way to carry out an attack … Bomb attack on Israeli soldiers near Rafah … A terrorist was intercepted near Shechem (Nablus) on his way to carry out an attack … A terrorist was intercepted near Kfar Yamoun on his way to carry out an attack.
II. “End Incitement”
What They Must Do: President Bush stated that the Palestinian Arabs must “end incitement to violence in official media and publicly denounce homicide bombings.”
What They Did During Week #33:
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. For example, the PA’s official radio station, the Ramallah-based “Voice of Palestine,” broadcast a 25-minute live sermon from Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem on February 7, 2002, in which Sheikh Ikrimah Sabri, the PA-appointed Mufti of Jerusalem, declared: “While Muslims slaughter sheep in Id Al-Adha, the United States will slay Muslims in Iraq in order to carry out its aggressive, criminal, terrorist, and inhuman designs…O Allah, deter the aggressors and conspirators. O Allah, destroy them all. O Allah, protect Iraq and its people.” (Translation courtesy of FBIS.)
Meanwhile, both PA Radio and the PA’s official television station, the Gaza Palestine Satellite Channel Television, broadcast a 33-minute live sermon from the Sheikh Ijlin mosque in Gaza on February 7, 2002, in which Sheikh Ibrahim al-Mudayris described America as “the United States, the unjust country,” and threatened: “O Palestinians, O Muslims, we swear that nobody will enjoy safety in the world unless injustice to the Palestinian people is lifted…After this reckless U.S. president declared his loyalty to the Jews and planned to get rid of our president, our people, and our cause, his country lost both security and safety.” He also said that America is “overwhelmed by corruption.”
III. “Elect New Leaders Not Compromised by Terror”
What They Must Do: President Bush stated that the Palestinian Arabs must hold “fair multiparty elections by the end of the year, with national elections to follow,” in which they “elect new leaders, leaders not compromised by terror.”
What They Did During Week #33: After previously announcing that it will hold elections for chairman of the PA and members of the Palestinian Legislative Council on January 20, 2003, the PA subsequently declared that those elections will be indefinitely postponed because Israeli forces are continuing to pursue terrorists in various parts of Judea, Samaria, and Gaza. Even if those elections are eventually held, it remains to be seen if they will be free and fair, as President Bush has required, or will be marred by ballot-stuffing and intimidation of voters and potential non-PLO candidates, as were the last PA elections, in 1996.
IV. “Build Democracy Based on Tolerance and Liberty”
What They Must Do: President Bush said that the Palestinian Arabs must “build a practicing democracy based on tolerance and liberty,” with “a new constitution” and “a truly independent judiciary. He said they must “confront corruption,” and “the Palestinian parliament should have the full authority of a legislative body.” They must implement “market economics,” and create “a vibrant economy where honest enterprise is encouraged by honest government.” In addition, there must be “an externally supervised effort to rebuild and reform the Palestinian security services” with “clear lines of authority and accountability and a unified chain of command.”
What They Did During Week #33:
Despite President Bush’s conditions, corruption continues to be the norm in the Palestinian Authority. The Jerusalem Post reported on January 2, 2003:
“Palestinian Authority officials and institutions in the Gaza Strip are involved in stealing basic food supplies and medicine provided by United Nations Reliefs and Works Agency (UNRWA) and Arab countries, according to documents seized by the IDF during a recent raid on the Protective Security Service headquarters in Gaza City.
“The documents show that PA officials have been selling the food and medicine on the black market since 1996. Food distributed by UNRWA to residents of refugee camps in the Gaza Strip have made their way to private merchants, who are selling them on the black market.
“The documents also indicate that large supplies of medicine and other equipment donated by Arab countries as humanitarian aid to the Palestinian people were being sold at private pharmacies and other markets in the Gaza Strip. (…)
“[M]ost of the thefts were taking place at the Rafah border crossing and that PA Minister of Supplies Abu Ali Shahin is responsible. Shahin is one of the top leaders of Fatah in the Gaza Strip and one of Arafat’s confidants.
“The Rafah crossing is controlled by the Preventive Security Service, which is cooperating with Shahin in stealing humanitarian aid, the sources said, noting that Shahin is being referred to by many Palestinians as the ‘minister of theft.’”