Keeping Track of Commitments

Progress on Negotiations
Palestinian officials have recently expressed frustrations with the ongoing peace talks, and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas is expected to call for greater U.S. involvement in an upcoming meeting with President Bush scheduled for April 24. PA Foreign Minister Riad Malki voiced concerns that the talks on core issues have so far yielded “no results.” Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Arye Mekel rejected Mr. Malki’s statement, claiming that only a “small circle of people” had full disclosure of the content of the talks. Abbas recently stated that the release of all Palestinian prisoners held by Israel is a necessary part of any peace deal. During a visit to Poland, Israeli President Shimon Peres said that Israel is “ready to forgo land in order to reach a genuine peace with the Palestinians.”

Members of the Quartet on the Middle East, including the European Union, Russia, United Nations and United States, met in Amman on April 17 to discuss whether to hold a meeting in Moscow to follow up on the Annapolis summit. A Russian news source stated that a proposal for the meeting has been approved, but has not been confirmed by any member of the Quartet.

Regional Efforts
U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is scheduled to meet the foreign ministers of Egypt, Jordan and the Gulf Cooperation Council states in Bahrain on April 21. The meetings will focus on Iraq yet U.S. officials reported that, in addition, Rice would encourage the Arab states to support Palestinian-Israeli negotiations and the efforts of the Palestinian negotiators.

Progress on Road Map Implementation
Movement and Access
Israel has imposed a complete closure on the Gaza Strip and West Bank during the Passover holiday, which lasts from April 18 - April 25. Israel usually imposes such restrictions during holidays, which it considers times of sensitive security. Despite the closures Israeli authorities promised on April 17 to continue transferring vital goods through the Gaza crossings. At the time of their statement, however, the Kerem Shalom crossing, a transfer point for food and medicine, and the fuel depot at Nahal Oz remained closed because of recent attacks.

A recent UN report stated that Israel has removed 44 roadblocks in the West Bank; critics say that many of these roadblocks were of little or no significance. The Israeli Defense Forces had previously announced that they had removed 60 roadblocks.

Security
Israel has agreed to the reopening of 20 Palestinian police stations in the West Bank. The opening, the first such move since 2001, is part of the security program aimed at boosting the negotiation process. PA police abandoned these stations during a rise of violence in 2000; 500 Palestinian personnel charged with combating crime in the area will staff the stations.

Unauthorized Outposts
In accordance with the road map peace plan, Israel has agreed to dismantle 26 outposts. It has established a plan by which settlers can build new houses in existing West Bank settlements in return for abandoning unauthorized outposts. On April 14, settlers moved three mobile homes from an outpost into the nearby Mevo Horon settlement. Palestinians have complained that any expansion of the settlements constitutes a violation of the road map terms.

Settlements
On April 18, Israel announced plans to build 100 new homes in the Ariel and Elkana settlements. Israeli housing officials stated that the new construction provides an answer to settlements’ natural growth and is taking place only within settlement blocs. The Israeli government intends to hold on to both Ariel and Elkana in any final status agreement. President Abbas recently stated that settlement expansion represents one of the biggest impediments to successful negotiations.

Gaza
On April 13, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert met with Abbas to discuss the situation in Gaza. Olmert restated his commitment to not allow a humanitarian disaster in Gaza, and Abbas gave full support to Egyptian efforts to mediate a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas.

On April 16, three Israeli soldiers and 18 Palestinians were killed, including a Reuters cameraman, marking the deadliest day of fighting in over a month. Three days later, Hamas detonated two booby-trapped cars at the Kerem Shalom border crossing, wounding 13 Israeli soldiers and killing four Hamas militants. Seven more militants were killed in subsequent air strikes.

Israel plans to further tighten control over the Gaza border crossings. The Kerem Shalom crossing, a vital passage for food and medical shipments, remained closed after the attack. Israeli officials have not indicated whether they would open the Sufa crossing, which also serves as transfer point for food and medical supplies. In light of a recent attack on the Nahal Oz fuel depot, Dor Alon, the company operating the terminal, indicated that it intended to reevaluate its role in transferring fuel to Gaza.

On April 20, Hamas rejected an Egyptian plan for a ceasefire with Israel which had called for an Israeli pledge to stop targeting Palestinians in return for a cessation of rocket attacks from Gaza, a prisoner swap of 400 Palestinians in exchange for Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, the opening of border crossings into Gaza and Hamas and Fatah putting a peace agreement, if reached this year, to a public vote.

Economic Development Efforts
Under a new U.S.-led plan, a $500 million mortgage company will be established to help build 10 new neighborhoods in the West Bank. The plan would create thousands of Palestinian jobs in construction and real estate and would make mortgages available for 30,000 new apartments. Half of the money for the new company, the Affordable Mortgage and Loan Company, will come from the United States through the Overseas Private Investment Corporation, with the rest coming from the World Bank, the Bank of Palestine, Britain and the Palestine Investment Fund.

For previous updates on “Keeping Track of Commitments,” see the editions on April 11, March 26, March 14, February 27, January 30 and January 18.