The Peres/Abu Ala plan publicized yesterday may contain more than meets the eye - despite denials by Foreign Minister Peres himself. Although it calls for the near-immediate establishment of a PLO state on 42% of Judea, Samaria, and Gaza, an accompanying letter apparently promises that the state would grow, in time, to all of Yesha, all the way up to the 1967 Green Line. Transportation Minister Ephraim Sneh (Labor) said this morning that Abu Ala - - named by Arafat as his future successor, and the man with whom Peres reached the agreement - told him that the plan includes this letter. Abu Ala added that without it, the Palestinians would not support the plan.
The body of the plan, entitled “A Palestinian State First,” calls for ceasefire negotiations; dismantling of terrorist organizations and the collection of illegal weapons; a month of the Tenet outline; recognition by Israel of a PA state on 42% of Yesha concurrent with PA recognition of Israel; negotiations of unresolved issues; and a permanent agreement.
Foreign Minister Peres submitted the plan yesterday to fellow Labor Party MKs - who, Arutz-7\'s Haggai Seri reported, basically did not accept it. Defense Minister Ben-Eliezer was heard to say that it \"is not doable,\" while MK Chaim Ramon snorted, \"Who is Abu Ala? He doesn\'t even impress the Tanzim!\" MK Effie Oshaya said sarcastically, \"The people living in the periphery are very interested in hearing how the \'elite\' wish to solve the problems…\" The most pointed criticism was delivered by long-time Peres-opponent Shlomo Ben-Ami, a former Foreign Minister himself. He told Seri,
\"If Oslo was as full of holes as Swiss cheese, this plan is only holes… For instance, if a state is to arise in 8 weeks, we won\'t be able to fly over its airspace, it will have to have free passages, it will be able to sign military agreements with whomever it wants... What happens if the negotiations don\'t work, as they often don\'t, and then this new state carries out hostile acts against us - do you think we\'ll be able to put Arafat, as head of a country, under siege like we do now? Nor will we be able to enter their areas like we do now… These are just some of the holes in this plan...\"
Dr. Aaron Lerner of Independent Media Review and Analysis (IMRA) notes that Foreign Minister Peres has a history of writing secret side letters. In 1993, for instance, Peres wrote to then-Foreign Minister of Norway Jorgen Holst that that he encourages the functioning of PA institutions in eastern Jerusalem - yet denied, for a while afterwards, that he had written it.
The body of the plan, entitled “A Palestinian State First,” calls for ceasefire negotiations; dismantling of terrorist organizations and the collection of illegal weapons; a month of the Tenet outline; recognition by Israel of a PA state on 42% of Yesha concurrent with PA recognition of Israel; negotiations of unresolved issues; and a permanent agreement.
Foreign Minister Peres submitted the plan yesterday to fellow Labor Party MKs - who, Arutz-7\'s Haggai Seri reported, basically did not accept it. Defense Minister Ben-Eliezer was heard to say that it \"is not doable,\" while MK Chaim Ramon snorted, \"Who is Abu Ala? He doesn\'t even impress the Tanzim!\" MK Effie Oshaya said sarcastically, \"The people living in the periphery are very interested in hearing how the \'elite\' wish to solve the problems…\" The most pointed criticism was delivered by long-time Peres-opponent Shlomo Ben-Ami, a former Foreign Minister himself. He told Seri,
\"If Oslo was as full of holes as Swiss cheese, this plan is only holes… For instance, if a state is to arise in 8 weeks, we won\'t be able to fly over its airspace, it will have to have free passages, it will be able to sign military agreements with whomever it wants... What happens if the negotiations don\'t work, as they often don\'t, and then this new state carries out hostile acts against us - do you think we\'ll be able to put Arafat, as head of a country, under siege like we do now? Nor will we be able to enter their areas like we do now… These are just some of the holes in this plan...\"
Dr. Aaron Lerner of Independent Media Review and Analysis (IMRA) notes that Foreign Minister Peres has a history of writing secret side letters. In 1993, for instance, Peres wrote to then-Foreign Minister of Norway Jorgen Holst that that he encourages the functioning of PA institutions in eastern Jerusalem - yet denied, for a while afterwards, that he had written it.