On Saturday, Dec. 26, Israeli forces shot dead six Palestinians in two separate attacks in the West Bank city of Nablus and northern Gaza Strip. Human rights groups and witnesses said Israeli undercover units extra-judicially executed three members of the Fatah Aqsa Martyrs Brigades Israel says were involved in shooting a Jewish settler on Dec. 24 in the Nablus District.
The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) said: "Israeli occupation forces claimed that undercover unit fired at the three victims as they refused to surrender. However, investigations conducted by the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) conclude that the three victims were executed in cold blood."
(http://www.pchrgaza.org/files/PressR/English/2009/129-2009.html)
The Thursday and Saturday incidents in Nablus have very serious repercussions, particularly for the Palestinian government of Salam Fayyad which was blasted and verbally attacked during angry demonstrations and funerals. Angry Palestinians chanted anti-Israeli slogans and demanded ending security coordination between the Palestinian Authority and Israel.
The Nablus shootings may be a turning point in the security coordination between Fayyad's government and Israel.
Palestinian officials said Israeli authorities tricked Fayyad's government which was already taking measures and arresting people for involvement in the shooting of the rabbi. While the Palestinian security services were busy in Tulkarm area, the Israeli under cover units made a surprise attack in Nablus, a move not coordinated with the Palestinian Authority, and instead of arresting the three Fatah militants, they shot them dead at close range. Witnesses said the three Palestinians were either not armed or did not return fire.
The Nablus killings led to a popular backlash against Fayyad's security coordination moves with Israel and led even some members of his own security forces to question the merits of coordination with the Israelis.
Fayyad considers the incident as "very serious" and has called every American official and General he knows in the United States on their cell phones despite the holidays to demand intervention to put an end, once and for all, to all Israeli raids into Palestinian cities.
The American's, realising the seriousness of the situation, are pre-occupied with seeking clarifications from the Israelis to try to calm emotions and find a way to restore trust. Some have proposed an urgent meeting between Fayyad, senior Israeli defense officials and the Americans to redefine and outline accepted security coordination measures. Fayyad, however, seeking to prevent the collapse of the Palestinian Territories again into lawlessness and to preserve his so far successful measures to end armed chaos, is demanding that the U.S. press Israel to end its raids in the Palestinian areas.
It is interesting to note that despite the anger in Nablus at the government's security coordination with Israel and emotional calls for revenge, the normal Palestinians in Nablus are worried about being drawn back to violence and lawlessness.
"People want to live. We don't want to see the return of suffocating, humiliating checkpoints like Huwara checkpoint. It seems Israel wants to take us back to the vicious cycle of violence," a Palestinian housewife from Nablus said.
Meanwhile, the American envoy George Mitchell is engaged in trying to get Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's approval on a package that the Americans believe can get the Palestinians back to the negotiating table. According to Arab diplomats and Yossi Beilin, as well as an article published last week by the Middle East Forum, Mitchell and the U.S. administration are close to finalising an agreement with Netanyahu for peace talks lasting two years, that will discuss the Palestinian demand for borders based on the 1967 lines and will include an exchange of territory and suitable security arrangements.
According to Haaretz, former Israeli Justice Minister Yossi Beilin told the Meretz party leadership that information he got from foreign and Israeli officials confirmed agreement between Netanyahu and the U.S.on the following:
* Timetable: Netanyahu is willing to accept the U.S. proposal to allot 24 months to talks, but doesn't want to announce that the goal is to reach a deal by the end of that period.
* Borders: Netanyahu has agreed that the goal of the talks is to end the conflict and reconcile the Palestinian position of establishing an independent state on the basis of the 1967 borders, with the exchange of agreed-upon territory, and the Israeli position of a Jewish state with recognized and secure borders that will meet Israel's security needs.
* Jerusalem: Netanyahu has agreed that the status of Jerusalem will be discussed in the negotiations, but has not agreed to any preconditions on the issue.
* Refugees: Netanyahu said he was willing to discuss the refugee issue only in a multilateral framework.
* Previous agreements: Netanyahu is willing to commit to all previously signed agreements.
* Arab peace initiative: Netanyahu is not willing to support the plan, but is willing to say both sides are taking into consideration international initiatives that contribute to the advancement of the peace process, such as the Arab peace initiative.
Mitchell is expected to visit Israel and the Palestinian Authority in the second week of January to complete talks on the terms of reference for negotiations, Beilin said. The Americans believe that such a deal could bring the Palestinians back to the negotiating table.
Senior Palestinian official Yasser Abed Rabbo said the Palestinians were kept in the dark about the American agreements with Israel.
Other senior Palestinian officials said the agreements fall short of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' demand for starting negotiations from the point they stopped with former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert. Olmert and Abbas had discussed the issue of Jerusalem in some detail. While Olmert said he did not agree to the principle of the right of return of Palestinian refugees, he has agreed to the return of a certain number on humanitarian grounds.
The Palestinian say that a deal with Netanyahu's right-wing government would not be possible, that is why they are demanding U.N. and international support for a U.N. Security Council resolution that determines the borders of the future Palestinian state.
A diplomat in the region said it was critical to get the sides to resume talks and keep the momentum going to prevent falling back into chaos and violence.
“When Mitchell returns in January, President Abbas will have to take tough decisions,” the diplomat said.
