Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and Syrian President Bashar Assad (AP)
Progress on Negotiations
On June 6, lead Palestinian negotiator Ahmed Qureia said the Israeli and Palestinian negotiating teams had agreed to begin drafting parts of a peace accord. On June 15 and June 24, Qureia and Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni discussed the status of the negotiations in meetings with U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. Additionally, Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas held talks on July 1 on the sidelines of a Socialist International conference in Greece. They discussed the Israeli-Palestinian negotiations, the Egyptian-brokered truce in the Gaza Strip and captured Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit.
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert met with Abbas on June 2, to reassure the Palestinian leader that peace talks would continue despite corruption charges against Olmert. During the meeting, Abbas protested Israel’s settlement expansion plans and Olmert objected to Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad’s lobbying efforts against Israel. Abbas and Olmert are scheduled to meet in Paris on July 13 on the margins of an international conference and on July 16-17 in a meeting with Rice in Washington.
U.S. Efforts
In addition to trilateral meetings with Livni and Qureia, Rice has held joint talks with Barak and Fayyad. On June 28, Qureia said Rice had proposed arranging additional trilateral discussions with Livni and Qureia in July in Washington, in September in New York and on November 15 in Washington.
President Bush visited Egypt, Israel and Saudi Arabia May 13-18, and held a meeting with Olmert in Washington on June 4. In their statements following the June 4 meeting, Bush and Olmert did not reiterate their previous objective of reaching an agreement by the end of 2008. On July 2, Bush held separate phone conversations with Abbas and Olmert to check on the status of the negotiations.
Progress on Road Map Implementation
Movement and Access
According to a UN report released in late May, the number of roadblocks in the West Bank increased from 566 to 607 between September 4, 2007 and April 29, 2008. On June 8, Israel announced the removal of ten roadblocks as part of a series of relief measures aimed at supporting Palestinians in the West Bank.
Settlements
On June 1, Israel revealed plans to build 763 homes in Pisgat Zeev and 121 homes in Har Homa, and on June 15, a regional planning board approved construction of at least 2,550 new homes by 2020. Both plans involve land in the West Bank that Israel considers to be part of Jerusalem. Barak recently approved the building of a dormitory in Hebron, which was previously denied under a defense ministry ban. On June 10, petitioners asked the Israeli High Court of Justice to reconsider its previous refusal to immediately halt construction of nine houses in the West Bank town of Ofra. The petitioners claim the homes are being built on privately-owned Palestinian land.
On May 27, Fayyad issued a letter to the European Union calling for the EU to not upgrade its ties with Israel due to Israel’s continued expansion of settlements. In response the Israeli government withheld $74 million in tax revenues intended for the Palestinian Authority (PA).
On June 3, settlers rebuilt an illegal outpost near Hebron that Israeli security forces dismantled a day earlier. The outpost has been rebuilt and dismantled 32 times since its original construction.
Security
Israeli and Palestinian security officials continue to hold bi-monthly meetings to strengthen Abbas’ government. On May 14, Quartet Special Envoy Tony Blair released a plan, approved by Israel and the PA, to give control of the areas north and east of Tulkarm, including Jenin, to Palestinian security forces in the following months. On June 24, an international security conference in Berlin helped raise $242 million for Palestinian judicial, penal and security structures. The funds will also help to expand the European Union Police Mission in Palestinian territories.
On July 2, a Palestinian from East Jerusalem drove a bulldozer into several cars and buses killing three people and seriously injuring two others.
On July 7, Haaretz reported that Barak had banned 36 Hamas-affiliated non- governmental organizations in Israel and the Palestinian territories. The move is intended to cut off funding for Hamas and to limit Hamas’ growing popularity.
Gaza
An Egyptian-brokered cease-fire between Israel and Hamas went into effect on June 19. The deal begins with the halting of violence on both sides. Subsequent stages include Israeli gradual easing of restrictions on the border crossings with Gaza, resumed negotiations on the release of captured Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit and the opening of the Rafah border crossing with Egypt. There have been repeated violations of the ceasefire as Gaza militants continue to shoot rockets into Israel and in response the Israeli government temporarily closes border crossings into the Gaza Strip. When the crossings are opened, shipments have included goods such as cement, fuel and food. On July 8, the Israeli army, per the request of Egyptian Intelligence Chief Omar Suleiman, agreed to temporarily reopen border crossings.
Internal Palestinian Reconciliation
Abbas called for talks with Hamas on June 4, marking a change from his previous position that had Hamas’ giving up the Gaza Strip as a precondition for negotiations. Fayyad recently proposed a three-part plan for reconciliation between Hamas and Fatah. The plan consists of a security agreement that would include the participation of Egyptian security forces, an interim government and a time frame for new parliamentary and presidential elections. On July 6, Abbas met with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in Damascus to discuss efforts towards reconciliation with Hamas. A senior aide to Abbas said the Palestinian president would not meet with Hamas leader Khaled Meshal until the group ended its takeover of Gaza.
Palestinian Economy
Private investors pledged $1.4 billion in support of the Palestinian economy during an investment conference in Bethlehem from May 21-23. The pledges included up to $550 million for a new West Bank town and shopping complex, $650 million for technology projects and $100 million invested in manufacturing. A majority of the funds will go to the West Bank with a small portion going to technology ventures in Gaza. The conference also included new commitments toward the Palestinian Political Risk Insurance Project, to help offer a new type of risk insurance for local businesses that will address unique trade disruption concerns. On July 2, Japanese and Middle Eastern leaders signed an agreement to create an agro-industrial project in the West Bank that aims to create up to 6,000 jobs for Palestinians.
For previous updates on “Keeping Track of Commitments,” see the editions on May 5, April 21, April 11, March 26, March 14, February 27, and January 30.
