Israel agreed Sunday to begin releasing hundreds of millions of
dollars in frozen tax funds to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas,
part of a package of planned goodwill gestures meant to strengthen
the moderate Palestinian leader in his standoff against the Islamic
militant group Hamas.
The decision to unfreeze the money came a day before Prime
Minister Ehud Olmert heads to Egypt for a high-profile summit with
Abbas, President Hosni Mubarak of Egypt and Jordanian King Abdullah
II.
The gathering is meant to give Abbas a high-profile display of
support against his Hamas rivals, who violently seized control of
the Gaza Strip in a bloody rout of Abbas' Fatah movement earlier
this month.
But Olmert sought to play down expectations ahead of the summit.
"We have an interest in having this meeting, but I don't want
anyone to think we're on the brink of a dramatic breakthrough,"
Olmert told his Cabinet, according to a meeting participant.
The Palestinian infighting has left the Palestinians with two
governments - Abbas' new Cabinet in the West Bank, and the Hamas
rulers in Gaza. Israel and moderate Arab leaders have joined
together in support of Abbas, a moderate who favors peace with
Israel, while trying to isolate Hamas, a radical group pledged to
Israel's destruction.
Olmert aide David Baker said in the current environment, it is
premature to begin talks on a final peace deal, despite calls from
the Palestinians and other Arab countries to do so.
Israel is prepared to discuss "a political horizon," he said.
"These talks do not include final status issues, but rather how the
prime minister and the president of the Palestinian Authority would
envision a future Palestinian state."
Deposed Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail of Hamas, speaking in
Gaza, called hopes for the summit "illusions" and a "mirage." He
said, "the Americans won't give anything. Israel won't give us
anything. Our land, our nation will not come back to us except with
steadfastness and resistance," a code word for attacks against
Israel.
The main proposal at Sunday's Cabinet meeting was the release of
some US$550 million of Palestinian tax money that Israel has
withheld since January 2006, when Hamas - which Israel considers a
terrorist group - swept Palestinian parliamentary elections.
(China Daily via agencies June 25, 2007)
