Sharon is firmly guiding developments in that area: make no mistake about it. These are his plans, as he outlined them in his book in 1987; every step of the way is mapped out there.
Israel sounds out Egypt on Gaza plan
By Aluf Benn
Mossad chief Meir Dagan visited Egypt a few days ago and met senior Egyptian officials with whom he is believed to have discussed Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's disengagement plan and the proposed pull-out from the Gaza Strip.
Dagan was apparently sounding out the Egyptian attitude should Israel withdraw from the so-called Philadelphi axis that runs along the border between Egypt and the Strip at Rafah. Sharon is considering a total pullout from the Strip that would include the narrow sliver of land at Rafah that Israel holds under its peace agreement with Egypt.
Sharon was asked about this yesterday at the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee and replied: "There are various opinions, and in any event I intend to discuss this with the Egyptians."
He said it had been a grave mistake to put the control of the Philadelphi axis into the peace accord with Egypt. "On one hand, this strip is supposed to prevent arms smuggling, but on the other it's a cursed route that has caused, and will continue to cause, daily conflict."
Sharon later told the Likud faction he intended to ask the U.S. to recognize the Israeli security line in the territories as "a long-term interim arrangement." He said: "We want to ensure there will be no diplomatic plan or demands on Israel from any source until a different Palestinian leadership is set up that fights terror and applies the road map. In the interim period, we shall fix the security line, and that is why the Palestinians are so worried about this."
Sharon would like to see American commitments to Israel anchored in a written document, in the form of a memorandum of understanding or a letter from the U.S. administration. He said the depth of the withdrawal would depend on what Israel received in return, and praised Finance Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for the list of proposals he had drawn up as possible compensation. Netanyahu is due to meet U.S. Ambassador Dan Kurtzer today.
Israel plans to ask the Americans to recognize the settler blocs of Ma'aleh Adumim, Ariel and Gush Etzion and agree that they be excluded from the list of settlements where building is frozen. At present, the U.S. is avoiding criticizing the building of Jewish neighborhoods in East Jerusalem, but does voice opposition to new building in the West Bank and Gaza settlements.
Israel will also request that Washington prevent the establishment of a Palestinian state in the territories after the Israeli withdrawal. The prime minister is planning to bring three documents to the cabinet for approval by the end of May - the disengagement agreement itself, the American letter with guarantees, and the results of a referendum.
Sources in the prime minister's bureau believe that the plan will receive broad support in a referendum, and that most of the public already supports it today, even before it is clear what Israel will get in return from the U.S.
In all his meetings and talks yesterday in the Knesset, Sharon stressed that the plan had not yet been approved and that he had not yet decided on the scope of the planned withdrawal.
But people who have discussed the subject with him in recent days say that he is leaning toward a "maximum alternative" - namely complete withdrawal from the Gaza Strip and 17 West Bank settlements in one fell swoop. Sharon's aides say he is still mulling over the various possibilities. |
