To demonstrate its seriousness in seeking an autonomy agreement with the Palestinians, Israel has brought professional experts to Washington to discuss various aspects of self-rule in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
Already working with the Israeli delegation are experts on economics, to deal with such issues as commerce, industry and trade, and on health, to deal with public health and the operation of hospitals and clinics, said Yossi Gal, the Israeli delegation’s chief spokesman.
Gal said experts are also available to discuss legal details that crop up, and specialists in other fields will be brought in as needed.
This is being done “to demonstrate to our Palestinian counterparts the seriousness with which we approach the negotiations,” Gal said.
Israel has offered a 10-page proposal that would give the Palestinians control of such things as agriculture, education and culture, budget and taxation, health, industry, commerce, tourism, labor and social welfare, local police, courts and prisons, local transportation and communications, municipal affairs and religious affairs.
The Palestinians have charged that the Israelis are not serious about offering true autonomy because the Israeli government would still control the land, water and overall security.
The Palestinians have presented the Israelis with a proposal that would give them administrative, legislative and judicial power, as well as require the Israeli military and civilian authorities to withdraw from the territories.
The Israelis charge this is not an interim self-rule plan but a proposal for statehood.
TOUGH TALKS WITH THE SYRIANS
The Palestinians also want elections. Gal said elections are one of the issues that should be discussed in the negotiations.
Gal said that the Palestinians are still demanding that before autonomy is discussed, the two sides deal with the issue of Jewish settlements in the territories and with alleged Israeli human rights violations in the territories.
Gal said the settlement issue deals with the final status of the territories, which is to be discussed in a second phase of negotiations, to be held three to five years after the self-rule arrangement goes into effect.
As for human rights, Gal said the Palestinians can discuss this any time they want with Israeli officials in Israel.
Meanwhile, negotiations with Jordan, Syria and Lebanon are continuing.
Gal said that when Israel raised with Syria the issue of drug trafficking in Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley, the Syrians angrily accused Israel of being the drug traffickers.
The Syrians also denied any mistreatment of the 4,000 Jews living in their country, who are not allowed to emigrate.
But there was one breakthrough in the talks with Syria. For the first time, there was an exchange of jokes and even smiles, Gal reported.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
