Peace climate vastly improved but threats persist, UNSC told

[Englander]

Israeli-Palestinian peace climate vastly improved but threats persist, Security Council told
Report, UN DPI, 22 February 2005

People across the Middle East had had their hopes rekindled for progress towards peace between Israel and the Palestinians, while, at the same time, had been outraged by the cold-blooded terror attack in Lebanon that took the life of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri and others, the Security Council was told this afternoon.

Kieran Prendergast, Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs, in his monthly briefing on the situation in the region, said the hope flowed from the summit meeting between President Abbas and Prime Minister Sharon in Sharm el-Sheikh on 8 February, hosted by Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, in the presence of Jordan's King Abdullah. At that meeting, President Abbas and Prime Minister Sharon reaffirmed their commitment to the "Road Map". Signalling their desire to break away from bloodshed and despair, the two leaders agreed that "all Palestinians would stop all acts of violence against Israelis everywhere" and that "Israel would cease all its military activity against all Palestinians everywhere".

Both parties had since taken actions to keep up the momentum generated by the summit, he said. The Israeli Government had announced that it would release 900 prisoners and withdraw from five West Bank cities and the surrounding areas. On 21 February, 500 Palestinian prisoners were released, and negotiations to resolve impediments to the Israeli withdrawal were continuing. He commended Israel's decision to halt punitive house demolitions. Israel had also reopened the three crossing points into Gaza -- Erez, Rafah and Karni -- after temporarily closing them in the wake of Palestinian attacks. Moreover, Israel announced that it was issuing more work permits, bringing the total number of workers authorized to enter Israel via Erez to 1,600.

On the Palestinian side, President Abbas had acted courageously to end violence, he stated. In the past month, the Palestinian Authority had deployed 1,000 security officers along the Gaza Strip's northern border with Israel, and hundreds more in the central and southern districts of Gaza. President Abbas had also relieved three top security commanders in Gaza of their duties following a raid by militants against a Palestinian Authority prison in Gaza, during which three inmates were killed, and the firing of dozens of mortar shells against Israeli settlements on 10 February. Fulfilling an important obligation under the Road Map, Abu Mazen also restructured the security services into three main branches -- the national forces, the intelligence forces, and the police -- all of which would report to the Palestinian Prime Minister.

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