Sharon protests Palestinian inaction
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JPost.com Staff, THE JERUSALEM POST Jan. 3, 2005--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has criticized the continued Palestinian inaction against terror groups operating on the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.
Speaking with William Safire of the New York Times, Sharon said, "The Palestinians have 30,000 armed security people who still find it hard to fight terrorists. Not the slightest step has been taken so far."
The prime minister added, "I understand it's the eve of an election. We do not interfere so as not to make it harder for him, but I believe Abu Mazen will be elected. Then if the Palestinian Authority starts to coordinate between our security services, and if they - not Hamas, not the Jihad - take charge of the areas we are leaving, I will coordinate disengagement.
"After their election, we'll see if they take the steps to stop the terror. If they do, it will be also quiet on our side." That seems to me to accept a cease-fire, qualified with "but if we have intelligence of a terrorist attack, we'll have to act."
According to Sharon, "We have a window of opportunity, after the death of Arafat and the re-election of President Bush, to break the stalemate of negotiation and replace it with a strategy of reconciliation."
Regarding his yet-to-be completed Coalition, Sharon said, "I might not have a majority in the Knesset."
"We agreed with the Labor Party," he said, "but have problems with an ultra-Orthodox party. They changed their mind under heavy pressure from radical rabbis of the settlers. And part of my own party is against joining with Labor. If I don't have a majority this week, then maybe we'll have to go to elections."
Asked if his possible need for an election to reaffirm his leadership would paralyze the pullout, Sharon replied, "No. The left cannot do it, and much of the right - my side - is against it. An election now would be a major mistake for Israel, but even if it becomes necessary, I will go ahead with disengagement."
In the next breath, however, Sharon noted, "Abu Mazen caused consternation last week by letting himself be borne aloft by a crowd of gunmen and promising the radicals he would protect them from Israeli retaliation. That was an awkward attempt to persuade the gunmen to vote for him, but Secretary Powell realistically said yesterday that if such persuasion fails, "he may have to undertake operations against them."
"It would be clearly impossible to evacuate under fire. With thousands of cars and trucks relocating women, children, animals, we will tolerate no attacks during withdrawal. I told the Egyptians to pass the word that if these people come under fire, Israel's reaction will be very hard," he added.
I'm hopeful that Abu Mazen, if elected, will prove tough-minded enough not to let that happen, even if it requires using the Palestinian Authority's 30,000 troops to "undertake operations" against Palestinian insurgents.
Sharon said he was optimistic about 2005. "We have faced harder times. Jews now have the capability of defending themselves by themselves," he said.
When asked if he expected to be prime minister one year from today, the prime minister answered, "Why only one year?"