Though the U.S. has agreed to delay "official" handling of the Road Map plan until after a new Israeli government is formed, it "unofficially" submitted a copy of the latest draft to the Palestinian Authority over the weekend. Ha'aretz "Road Map" expert Aluf Benn reports that this latest version is more stringent with the Palestinians than the others were. He also says that the four authors - the U.S., Russia, the UN, and the European Union - are not in perfect harmony on many of its points.
The plan essentially calls for the establishment of a Palestinian state with non-permanent borders by the end of 2003 - a year from now - and for final borders to be set two years later. What happens between now and then is the subject of many disagreements. The current version states that the state can only be established "when the Palestinian people will have a leadership willing and able to establish practicing democracy based on tolerance and liberty…" Some U.S. elements demand that Yasser Arafat not be included in the leadership, while the Europeans want the arch-terrorist to remain.
Other changes in the new version include:
* In the transition phase the Palestinian state will not have full sovereignty, but only "certain attributes of sovereignty."
* It mentions the Saudi peace initiative - that which calls for a full Israeli withdrawal to the pre-1967 borders - as one of the sources from which the plan draws its authority.
* In accordance with the U.S. and Russian position, it omits a requirement that Israel should discontinue military operations in populated areas - a code name for assassinations.
* Instead of being required only to "condemn" terrorism and "dismantle" terrorist
infrastructures, the PA must now "confront" anyone involved in terrorist activity and immediately collect unauthorized weapons.
* Israel must still freeze all construction in Yesha, but it remains open whether this happens immediately or only after a full cease-fire begins.
* Implementation is still subject to the supervision of all four members of the quartet, despite Israel's objections to European, Russian and UN roles.
The plan essentially calls for the establishment of a Palestinian state with non-permanent borders by the end of 2003 - a year from now - and for final borders to be set two years later. What happens between now and then is the subject of many disagreements. The current version states that the state can only be established "when the Palestinian people will have a leadership willing and able to establish practicing democracy based on tolerance and liberty…" Some U.S. elements demand that Yasser Arafat not be included in the leadership, while the Europeans want the arch-terrorist to remain.
Other changes in the new version include:
* In the transition phase the Palestinian state will not have full sovereignty, but only "certain attributes of sovereignty."
* It mentions the Saudi peace initiative - that which calls for a full Israeli withdrawal to the pre-1967 borders - as one of the sources from which the plan draws its authority.
* In accordance with the U.S. and Russian position, it omits a requirement that Israel should discontinue military operations in populated areas - a code name for assassinations.
* Instead of being required only to "condemn" terrorism and "dismantle" terrorist
infrastructures, the PA must now "confront" anyone involved in terrorist activity and immediately collect unauthorized weapons.
* Israel must still freeze all construction in Yesha, but it remains open whether this happens immediately or only after a full cease-fire begins.
* Implementation is still subject to the supervision of all four members of the quartet, despite Israel's objections to European, Russian and UN roles.