 |
 |
 |
|
|
British Prime Minister Tony Blair delivers a statement at the conclusion of the G8 summit in Gleneagles, Scotland. (AP)
|
|
|
|
|
|
| By israelinsider staff and partners July 10, 2005 |
|
| |
Israeli officials on Sunday rejected British Prime Minister Tony Blair's contention that the Mideast conflict is one of the underlying causes of terror, and by extension, of the recent attacks on London.
In a weekend interview on BBC Radio, Blair said it was crucial to address terrorism's underlying causes, which he identified as deprivation, lack of democracy and ongoing conflict in the Middle East.
"I think this type of terrorism has very deep roots. As well as dealing with the consequences of this -- trying to protect ourselves as much as any civil society can -- you have to try to pull it up by its roots," Blair said, adding that this meant boosting understanding between people of different religions, helping people in the Middle East see a path to democracy and easing the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians.
Israeli Vice Premier Ehud Olmert said Sunday that "the terrorists operating in London last week were doing it as part of a comprehensive terrorist war against the Western civilization similar to what they've done in America, similar to what they've done in Spain."
Cabinet Minister Matan Vilnai said Western democracies, including Israel, are being targeted by terror. "We are part of it and the whole free world is now part of it," he said.
"It is a widespread approach in Europe," one Israeli diplomat told Ynetnews. "They really believe we are responsible for all their problems."
According to a report released by the Jerusalem Newswire, another source said, "Blair's comments are an attempt to calm things down, to tell British Muslims, 'it's not you, it's the Mideast conflict.'"
The unnamed diplomats said Blair's reaction to the bombings was another sign Europe had yet to wake up to the dangers of radical Islam.
At least one world leader, Pope Benedict XVI, took a seemingly opposing tack to that of Blair and the G8 by calling the attacks "anti-Christian."
A Vatican source told reporters the pope continued to see Christianity, Christian values, and the Christian way of life, particularly in Europe, as the direct and intentional targets of Islamic terrorism.
In the meantime, Chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat said that Blair had "touched reality and spoke strategically of the need to deal with the problems of this region."
"I believe a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict does not involve reinventing the wheel. We all know the parameters. We all the know that this is going to be a two-state solution. We all know that Israel needs to end its occupation and secondly we need to see democracy in this region," he said.
Blair made the comments during the G8 summit in Gleneagles, Scotland, where it was decided to put together a three-year plan for Palestinian economic recovery, to be funded with up to US$3 billion a year.
The aid package was endorsed Friday by the G-8 summit. The envoy, James Wolfensohn, said he would present the plan to the international community in September.
The money will start flowing in about six months, after Israel has completed its withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, Wolfensohn told reporters Saturday, after meeting with Mohammed Dahlan, the top Palestinian official in charge of coordinating the Gaza withdrawal with Israel.
In a first step, the aid would help create jobs in Gaza, where poverty and unemployment have soared during more than four years of Israeli-Palestinian fighting.
"We are talking about programs that will be implemented immediately," said Wolfensohn, former president of the World Bank. "We are talking about (financial) support early after the withdrawal."
Wolfensohn will be in the region for a week, for meetings with Israeli and Palestinian officials.
Palestinian officials said they have put together a list of 26 economic projects, including job creation, rebuilding of the Gaza infrastructure and improving crucial crossing points between Israel and Gaza.
The G-8 leaders did not pledge specific sums of aid, saying only they "support Mr. Wolfensohn's intention to stimulate a global financial contribution of up to US$3 billion per year over the coming three years." The summit statement said the leaders are mobilizing practical support for Wolfensohn's plan.
Dahlan, meanwhile, told Israel TV's Channel Two that Israel has not yet made decisions on key issues related to withdrawal, including whether Israel would agree to the construction of a seaport in Gaza and the reopening of the strip's airport, how border crossings would be managed, and how Gaza would be linked to the West Bank to allow Palestinians free movement between the territories.
"I haven't received a single answer so far," Dahlan said. "I live in a fog."
Wolfensohn and the World Bank have emerged as mediators between the two sides, and have come up with proposals on most issues, including paving a "sunken" road that would link the West Bank and Gaza and deploying foreign security inspectors at the airport and future seaport.
A senior Israeli official, meanwhile, said that the forced evacuation of Gaza settlements will begin Aug. 17, and that settlers who ignore orders to leave by that deadline will suffer some financial losses.
The official, speaking on customary condition of anonymity, said settlers who leave voluntarily will get a better financial package, including special government grants and aid programs that can help them resettle.
Before Aug. 17, Israeli troops will go from house to house and inform residents of the settlements marked for evacuation that their presence is no longer legal and that they must leave, the official said.
Israel's government decided several weeks ago that the forced evacuation would begin in mid-August, but Saturday marked the first time an exact date was given.
Settler leaders criticized the government decision Saturday and said it would never be sanctioned by the courts.
"From every legal perspective the government has no right to harm the resident rights just because they are defending their homes, " said attorney Sarit Maoz, head of the Elei Sinai settlement council.
The AP contributed to this report.
|
|
 
|
|
|
|
Click on the blue headline to read a Talkback comment and respond to it. Click on the  icon to send a private email to the talkback writer. The icon appears only if the writer has decided to be contacted. If no popup window appears, please make sure your popup blocker allows israelinsider.com.
|
|
| |
|
|
