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Israel Closes Off West Bank, Gaza

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December 30, 2000 

JERUSALEM (AP) — Prime Minister Ehud Barak on Friday drew what he called his bottom line in any peace deal with the Palestinians: No transfer of sovereignty over Jerusalem's revered Temple Mount to the Palestinians, and no right of return for Palestinian refugees.

Barak spoke after another day of confrontations between Israelis and Palestinians. Israel once again clamped a full closure on the West Bank and Gaza Strip after bombings that killed two Israelis a day earlier. An Israeli shell killed a Palestinian policeman near the Gaza Strip crossing on Friday, and a stone-throwing clash with Israeli police injured 15 Palestinians.

The Palestinians immediately criticized Barak's remarks, which raised additional doubts about prospects for renewed peace negotiations in the coming weeks.

``This statement effects negatively the peace process and harms efforts that had been made to push it forward,'' said Nabil Aburedeneh, spokesman for Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat. Barak has said his government is willing to renew talks with the Palestinians based on peace proposals by President Clinton. The Israeli leader has hinted at far-reaching concessions, prompting criticism from some Israelis who say he is going too far in his effort to strike a deal.

But Barak said he wouldn't relinquish sovereignty to the Palestinians of the Temple Mount in Jerusalem's walled Old City, the holiest site in Judaism. Palestinians revere the site as Haram as-Sharif — the Noble Sanctuary — and demand sovereignty over it.

``This statement effects negatively the peace process and harms efforts that had been made to push it forward,'' said Nabil Aburedeneh, spokesman for Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat. Barak has said his government is willing to renew talks with the Palestinians based on peace proposals by President Clinton. The Israeli leader has hinted at far-reaching concessions, prompting criticism from some Israelis who say he is going too far in his effort to strike a deal.

But Barak said he wouldn't relinquish sovereignty to the Palestinians of the Temple Mount in Jerusalem's walled Old City, the holiest site in Judaism. Palestinians revere the site as Haram as-Sharif — the Noble Sanctuary — and demand sovereignty over it.

Barak's aides have spoken of some compromises on the religious site, one of the most sensitive issues in the Mideast negotiations. The Israeli government has not said explicitly what the Jewish state is prepared to give up, though previously there was talk that sovereignty might be granted to a third party, such as the U.N. Security Council.

Muslims already have day-to-day control over the site. The embattled prime minister, who faces an uphill battle for re-election Feb. 6 against right-wing opposition leader Ariel Sharon, also reiterated his pledge never to concede to a Palestinian demand that their refugees be allowed to return to their original homes in Israel. For Palestinians, the key sticking point has been the fate of nearly 4 million refugees scattered in Lebanon, Jordan, Syria, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Israeli leaders have said it would be demographic suicide to absorb Palestinian refugees in their country of 6 million people — 5 million of whom are Jewish.

``The government under my leadership will not accept any agreement under any situation that will accept the 'right of return' in any shape or form. Period,'' Barak told Channel Two Television. Israel has indicated previously it was willing to take in a limited number of refugees — perhaps 50,000 — on humanitarian grounds, such as reuniting families. Barak did not address this. The Palestinian Cabinet said it was willing to take part in ``serious final negotiations during a short period,'' but insisted that it would not compromise on long-standing demands.

``The Palestinian leadership and the Palestinian people will not give up in any way or under any pressure ... a centimeter of our land, or our Jerusalem, or our holy Islamic and Christian sites,'' a statement said.

Clinton's proposals call for a Palestinian state in 95 percent of the West Bank and all of the Gaza Strip. They also envision Palestinian control over Arab neighborhoods in east Jerusalem and the Temple Mount area, which is in the eastern part of the city.

In exchange, Clinton would have Palestinians dramatically scaling back their demands on the refugees.

Barak said the Clinton proposals, which he described as ``difficult for Israel,'' nevertheless could serve as a basis for negotiations before Clinton leaves office on Jan. 20. The Palestinians have not given a direct answer despite Clinton's request for a response by the middle of this past week.

According to the Palestinians, Clinton wrote Arafat on Thursday to say the Palestinians must state clearly that they accept his proposals as a basis for discussions; only then will they get any answers from the United States about specifics of the proposals.

Nevertheless, Palestinians said Arafat intended to write Clinton asking for elaboration — particularly, on which points are negotiable, and which are not.

Dozens of foreign leaders have called Arafat to urge him to accept the American proposal for talks, a Palestinian official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. Arafat needs Arab support to sell the plan to his people. Arab foreign ministers are to weigh in on the proposals next week in Cairo.

``This peace proposal is indeed American-proposed, but Israeli formatted,'' said Al-Thawra daily in Syria, home to 400,000 refugees. It was one of many Arab newspapers expressing skepticism. In Friday's violence, Israeli forces fired a shell near the Erez crossing point that separates the northern Gaza Strip from Israel.

The shelling killed Mahmoud Nasser, a 20-year-old policeman, a Palestinian police source said. Israel's army said it fired a shell following persistent shooting at an Israeli base in the area. Israel on Friday restored in full-force its ban on Palestinian travel into Israel, prompted by two bombings Thursday that killed two Israeli soldiers and injured 16 other people.

Israel had eased the closures of the West Bank and Gaza Strip last week for the first time since the eruption of violence, allowing through 16,000 workers. Before the violence began in September, 150,000 Palestinians normally crossed into Israel each day. Nearly 350 people have been killed, most of them Palestinians, over the past three months.