The US-led Mitchell Commission has submitted to Israeli and Palestinian officials a report on the alleged causes of seven months of violence in the Middle East, said reports.
The two sides have been given two weeks to examine the report, during which they have been asked not to make any public comments.
Although the report is secret, press reports have given an outline of the long-awaited document.
The report is based on four points, which were summed up by Abu Dhabi satellite channel:
- Condemnation of Israeli settlement activity.
- Condemnation of Palestinian “violence.”
- No UN observers recommended, a basic demand as far as the Palestine Authority (PA) is concerned.
- Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon did not spark the most recent Intifada with his Sept. 28 visit to the Aqsa Mosque, although the visit caused incredible frustration among the Palestinians.
It is likely that the report will disappoint the Palestinians, who have insisted on international intervention, and who say the original cause of months of violence was Sharon's visit to the holy sites in Jerusalem.
However, Palestinian Minister of Information Yasser Abd Rabbo said that the Palestinians could not give their comments before they scrutinized the report thoroughly.
In an interview with the Abu Dhabi channel, the minister said it was premature to issue a statement within hours of receiving the report.
The panel submitted a copy to the White House Thursday.
The commission was set up at an Arab-Israeli summit last October under former US Senator George Mitchell, but has been dogged by difficulties ever since.
Israel has been reluctant to cooperate with Mitchell and his team.
More, Sharon has described the Mitchell commission as an "historic mistake" because, he said, no one had the right to put Israel on trial.
The announcement came as Israeli tanks fired shells at a Palestinian police post near Beit Hanoun, in the northern Gaza Strip, reported BBC Online and agencies.
Earlier, two mortar shells fell on a nearby kibbutz in southern Israel.
Neither attack is reported to have caused any injuries, although the Israeli shells damaged the police post.
However, Palestine's official WAFA news agency reported that a boy was injured in West Bank clashes.
The Israeli attacks on Gaza came in a relative lull in clashes between Israelis and Palestinians – Albawaba.com
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