Palestinian political analysts said the Israeli attempts to impose civil administration in the Palestinian occupied territories will be a complete failure due to the growing popularity of the Palestinian president and Palestinian National Authority. But they warned that the Palestinian people daily needs have to be met so that they would be able to continue resisting the Israeli attempts.
Political analyst, Ghassan al Khatib, does not see any determination by Sharon’s government to go back to the civil administration despite its recent confiscation of Palestinian lands. “There are rumors that Palestinians who wish to travel abroad have to obtain permits from the Israelis but this was proved to be baseless later on. So far there are no tangible and practical indications about these possibilities,” said Khatib.
Meanwhile, the Israeli authorities started confiscating lands in many areas of the West Bank and transforming them into military zones reminding everybody with what was going on during the Likud party regime in 1977.
Khatib believes also that land confiscation is not indicative of the civil administration return, as this action has been going on over the past ten years, which followed the Oslo accord.
From the legal point of view the civil administration has not been dismantled despite Oslo accord, which includes a clause stating that “Israel should dismantle the civil administration and withdraw the military officers. Israel has not implemented this yet and the civil administration continued but without a distinctive role, added Khatib.
“There are concerns among Palestinians that Israel would revive the civil administration after the war it launched against the Palestinian Authority but this attempt wouldn’t succeed because the Palestinian people do not accept to be ruled by a leadership which they did not elect. Israel attempted several times to impose civil administration and find a substitute for the PA but did not succeed,” said Khatib adding that the Palestinian leadership and PA are now stronger than before.
The strength of the PA does not stem from its financial and military capabilities but rather from the people support, which has greatly increased recently. This constitutes the main source of strength of the authority contrary to the strength of states, which is measured by their financial and military capabilities.
The PA is still a national liberation movement and political leadership of people struggling against occupation. Therefore there will be no hope for Israel to succeed in its attempts to impose an alternative leadership or civil administration, added Khatib.
Ali al Jirbawi, professor of Politics at Bir Zeit University has a different viewpoint as he thinks the ongoing process of destruction against the PA constitutes an attempt by Sharon to revive the Israeli civil administration in the Palestinian territories.
“Dismantling the PA aims at the fragmentation and isolation of the Palestinian territories and finding local leaderships that would collaborate with Israel in addition to imposing Israeli liaison officers or civil administration to control the daily life in these areas which will spur the people to deal with them as time passes,” said Jirbawi.
Referring to the rumors which spread regarding the travel permits, Jirbawi said, “ this has not yet been implemented but the mere rumors about it means the beginning. There are attempts to push in this direction by appointing liaison officers to be responsible for each city, which will spur people under siege to deal with them. This situation will weaken the PA and leads to its dissolution.”
While Jirbawi confirms the growing popularity of the PA and the Palestinian leadership among the Palestinian people, he differentiated between the human feelings and the daily needs. Feelings may be strong but the two elements are not connected. The Palestinian citizen wants somebody to meet his needs and if the PA is unable do so after the new Israeli war against it, there will a great risk that Israel will revive the civil administration.”
The PA is fully aware of the plans of Sharon and his radical government particularly in view of the fact that Sharon announced on the first day when he took office that he was unconvinced with the agreements with the Palestinians. He launched his war against them before even entering the headquarters of the Israeli cabinet, said Jirbawi.
In order to save the situation and block Sharon’s attempts the Palestinian senior negotiator Saeb Erekat issued a resolution in his capacity as a Palestinian Cabinet Member of Local Government as follows:
According to the powers invested in me under the Palestinian Local Agencies Law for 1997 and in view of the Palestinian People higher national interests in these critical circumstances, the following has been decided:
First, all the Palestinian local agencies contacts with the Israeli side should be channeled through the Ministry of Civil Affairs Provincial offices and the Palestinian Regional Coordination Committees entrusted with this affair under the signed agreements.
Secondly, In emergency cases heads of local councils or their representatives should consult with Minister of Local Government directly.
Thirdly, this resolution is effective as of today, April 23, 2002. (Albawaba.com)
